Reunions
by CelticWolfman
Summary: Harm's old Academy roommates decide on a reunion weekend in DC to have a little fun like they did in the old days but what happens when things from the past force Harm to consider his future? What happens when Mac and the Gunny tag along for the wild week
1. Enter Bax

A/N: The crew and I were watching "Grey's Anatomy" and we decided to insert Patrick Dempsey into a JAG story. He's who we would have play Commander Ethan "Bax" Baxter

"Hey Sturgis, I was just talking to Harm to see if he wanted to get together this weekend to go over the Muller court-martial and he said he had other plans, what gives?" Mac asked as she hung to the doorframe of Sturgis Turner's office.

"All our old Academy crew is back in town this weekend. Well, not everyone……I mean well…" Sturgis wasn't sure how to breach this topic.

"You mean not Diane? It's okay Sturgis, I know. So, you're all going to go out and behave like adolescents, is that it?" Mac joked slightly.

"I'll have you know, Colonel, that we can be very mature most of the time." Sturgis countered. "They'll be here at 1710 and Harm's putting them up for the weekend. I'm sure you'll love the guys, I mean you've already met Keeter, right?"

"Tell me they're not all like Keeter." Mac stated in a whiny tone.

"No, they're not all like Keeter. Bax is, actually Bax and Keeter are two cards from the same deck. This is the first time that Bax and Keeter have been able to get leave at the same time in years though." Sturgis almost seemed reflective and sentimental.

"Mothers lock up your daughters!" Someone shouted in the bullpen.

"Oh, they're early." Sturgis stated with a laugh as he got out from behind his desk. Sturgis moved out into the bullpen to greet the tall, dark-haired Navy Commander who had made his presence known. "Bax! Keeter! You guys weren't supposed to come by here yet!" Sturgis got pulled into a bear hug.

"Yeah, but I got a few days of leave and decided no to waste the early hours." Bax stated as he pulled out of the hug.

"Besides, it's going to take a whole weekend to de-program you and Harm and we figured that we should get an early start." Keeter added as he and Sturgis shook hands.

"Bax! You're early!" Harm smiled widely as he walked out of his office.

"What? Is everyone surprised or something?" Bax replied with a sarcastic smile of his own. "How the hell are you, Harm? It's been too damn long."

"I'm doing great!" Harm was enthusiastic as hell. He looked over and saw Mac standing off to the side. Keeter and Sturgis had been with good about not bringing up Mac's resemblance to Diane or if they did so, they didn't make anything big out of it but with Bax's over the top nature, he'd make a show of it.

From where Mac stood, she was convinced that these four must have been real trouble in there Academy days. Two aviators, a bubblehead and now a SEAL added to the mix. Harm's roommates, here they all were and God help the women of DC, they were all single and gorgeous. That, would be the moment that her eyes caught those of Harm's friend.

"Holy shit!" Bax stated slightly taken aback. "I've got to be seeing things." Harm winced slightly and went into damage control. He motioned for Mac to come over so he could make the introductions.

"Commander Ethan Baxter this is Lieutenant Colonel Sarah MacKenzie; Mac, this is Bax." Harm made the introductions and watched as Bax gave his head a shake.

"Nice to meet you, Colonel, I'm sorry for my reaction it's just that you look remarkably like someone I knew." Bax stated calmly.

"Diane? I know, Harm's told me." Mac reassured him with a warm smile.

"Oh well, you're much more attractive I assure you." Bax smiled and winked Mac playfully.

"Bax –" Harm stated in a warning tone.

"Hammer, I'm not dead. I get to make these observations." Bax replied with pat to the shoulder. "You should try it yourself sometime."

"Who's disrupting my bullpen?" Admiral Chegwidden came walking out into the bullpen.

"That would be me, sir, my most sincere apologies. I just haven't had this much leave in a while and I figured that I should come by and visit with two of my old Academy roommates." Bax reached out and shook the Admiral's hand. "Commander Ethan Baxter, sir.

The Admiral looked the younger man over sternly before fixing his eyes on the trident that was pinned to his coat. "You're a SEAL, son. What team?" The Admiral's expression seemed to lose some of its gravity.

"SEAL Team Two, sir." Bax replied enthusiastically.

"No kidding, tell you what, Rabb and Turner have to finish up for the day, why don't you and I go trade stories in my office, one SEAL to another." The Admiral suggested.

"I say, you're on, sir." Bax walked off with the Admiral toward his office.

"Twenty years and he can still do that." Sturgis remarked jokingly.

"Yeah, well, some of us just got it." Keeter added.

"What would you know?" Harm turned toward Keeter.

"Can the three of you save the testosterone fest for later?" Mac's eyes searched the three men in front of her. "Men." She remarked simply before turning toward her office.

"What did we do?" Keeter inquired to no one in particular. Harm followed Mac back to her office where he took a seat opposite her.

"Your friend seems to get along well with people." Mac commented quickly.

"Yeah, well Bax is a diplomat." Harm smiled as he propped his head up with his hand.

"That's an interesting way of saying con artist. That snow job he worked on the Admiral was pretty impressive." She laughed as she opened a file on her desk.

"Hey, Bax is a good guy. A little over enthusiastic, granted, but he and Keeter managed to keep Sturgis and me on our toes at the Yard." Harm joked and Mac watched as his little smile developed into a full fledged flyboy grin.

"Alright, go get your work done so that you and your fellow Water Buffalos can go out and have a nice machismo driven evening." Mac smiled as Harm feigned hurt before getting up and heading back to his office. Harm and Sturgis worked furiously to get there paperwork clear for the day so that they could go out and enjoy their weekend. Keeter made rounds in the bullpen, talking to Bud, Harriet, Gunny and practically anyone who would listen.

AT 1710, the Admiral and Bax came walking out into the bullpen. "Alright, everyone, you all have permission to secure for the day." The Admiral announced and the bullpen broke into a frenzy to get out of work that day. Mac watched as the four old Academy roomies stood in the bullpen with the Admiral, Gunny, Bud and Harriet. Seeing an opportunity to get a little socializing in, she decided to join them.

"Alright, guys so what's on tap for tonight?" Sturgis clapped his hands together as he joined his friends.

"It's Friday night, we've gotta hit a club, a little women and dancing to kick off the weekend, eh." Bax elbowed Harm in the ribs. "We're used to hanging around with more people though, no Luke, no Di, no Carmichael. We need more people."

"What do you say, Bud? You up for a night on the town?" Harm turned toward the young Lieutenant who seemed slightly hesitant about the whole thing.

"Well, sir, it sounds like a lot of fun but Harriet's parents are in town to see AJ this weekend and I really should stay at home." Bud sounded incredibly defeated at that admission.

"Alright, how about you Gunny? You think you can keep up with us?" Harm challenged the Marine.

"You're on, sir. Just tell me where and when." Gunny replied with a smile.

"Since when do we include Marines?" Keeter asked caustically.

"Since Bax became a SEAL." Sturgis commented with a small laugh.

"What was that Commander?" The Admiral stepped to defend the honour of the SEALs.

"Nothing, sir." Sturgis replied, realizing he'd put his foot in his mouth.

"Hey Admiral, we could always use another SEAL and a two-star might actually succeed in keeping us out of trouble." Keeter suggested with a coaxing look.

"You boys don't want to spend a Friday night with an old man." The Admiral joked in a wise tone.

"Nonsense, sir, we could use some more Navy men around now that Gunny's going with us." Harm added.

"Unless you don't think you can keep up with us, sir." Bax was goading the Admiral.

"Is that a challenge, Commander?" The Admiral replied with an inquisitive tone.

"One SEAL to another, sir." Bax replied, stepping up to the plate.

"Alright, challenge accepted." The Admiral replied with a chuckle.

"Good, now we're only short a female presence and every thing will be status quo." Sturgis stated pensively and then he watched as Harm, Keeter and Bax's eyes all lit up.

"Mac!" They all replied simultaneously.

"No, I'm not getting involved in your little Water Buffalo meeting tonight." Mac answered with a surprised tone.

"Did she just call us Water Buffalos?" Keeter looked from Harm to Bax.

"You remember what we did to the last woman who called us that?" Bax added.

"On three." Harm stated as he and his two friends fanned out and surrounded Mac. "One, two, three." They all pounced at once. They grabbed her and hoisted her onto their shoulders.

"You Neanderthals, put me down!" Mac demanded.

"Only if you agree to go to the club with us tonight, think you can do that, Marine?" Harm questioned, being as he was the one who was supporting Mac's shoulders.

"Fine, I'll go but don't think that this gets you off the hook Flyboy." Mac lectured as they lowered her to the ground.

"Aw, Mac has a pet name for you, that's so cute, Hammer." Bax teased.

"Shut up, Bax." Harm turned to give his friend a stern look.

"Where are we all going to meet?" Gunny asked enthused about having something fun to do tonight.

"2150, The Eclectic, it's the new club downtown. Place is supposed to be pretty hot." Keeter suggested.

"Sounds good." Harm affirmed. "Hey Mac, me and the boys will pick you up before heading down there. Just to make sure that you don't welch out on us."

0227 ZULU

MAC'S APARTMENT

GEORGETOWN

Mac put on a knee-length skirt and one of her nicer blouses. Tonight, she was heading out to the hottest club in DC with six men whose company would make her the envy of every woman in the place. Sure enough, they came knocking at her door just in time to be able to pick her up and race across the DC to the club.

Mac went to the door to find Harm, Keeter and Bax standing there all looking like their own respective versions of sexy. Harm was classy, in his black button up shirt and blue jeans. Keeter was comical in his Hawaiian shirt and khakis and Bax was rough in a grey USNA t-shirt, black leather jacket and blue jeans. They looked liked they were back at the Academy, in their own comfort element. When she opened the door, they all showed their appreciation for how she looked in their own way. Harm extended a compliment, Keeter let out an appreciative 'wow' and Bax whistled.

"You ready, Mac?" Harm asked.

"As I'll ever be." Mac stepped out of the apartment and turned to lock the door. They all piled into Harm's Lexus and Harm turned up the radio for them to entertain themselves on the drive. Mac took the shotgun seat next to Harm with Keeter and Bax taking up the backseat.

"Alright, this one goes out from one of our listeners to the USNA class of '85." The DJ said and when Harm heard the intro he turned toward the backseat.

"You didn't." Harm smiled as he inquired with his buddy.

"Oh yeah, I so did." Bax replied.

_I had a friend was a big baseball player_

_Back in high school_

_He could throw that speed ball by you_

_Make you look like a fool, boy_

_Saw him the other night at this roadside bar_

_He was walking in, I was walking out_

_We went back inside, sat down, had a few drinks_

_But it all he kept talking about was_

_Glory Days, well they will pass you by_

_Glory Days, in the wink of a young girl's eye_

_Glory Days, Glory Days_

The song had the three former roomies cruising down memory lane, each of them rolling around endless films of memories from their days at Annapolis. All three of them were singing proudly and even laughing while they did it. Mac's voice joined in as Harm drove them to the club.

_Well there's a girl that lives up the block_

_Back in school she could turn all the boy's heads_

_Sometimes on a Friday I'll stop by and have a few drinks_

_After she put her kids to bed_

_Her and her husband Bobby, well they split up_

_I guess it's two years gone by now_

_We just sit around talking about the old times_

_She says when she feels like crying _

_She starts laughing, thinking about_

The song broke into another chorus and Mac marvelled at how completely Harm seemed for the first time since she'd known him. Harm was smiling, laughing and singing his heart out, even if it was slightly off-key and it was all because his old Academy buddies were here in town.

_Now I think I'm going down to the well tonight_

_And I'm going to drink till I get my fill_

_And I hope when I get older I don't sit around thinking about it_

_But I probably will_

_Yeah, just sitting back, trying to recapture_

_A little of the glory of, well time slips away_

_And leaves you with nothing, Mister _

_But boring stories of, Glory Days_

The song died away on the radio and Mac's voice was the last one heard singing which caused all the guys to laugh a little. "Hey Hammer, this is one cool chick." Bax sounded almost surprised.

"I spent a few days with her in the Iranian desert and I knew she was a cool chick even then." Keeter added with his own sarcastic smile.

"Not everyday a chick like her comes along, Hammer." Bax commented, pushing his luck slightly.

"Bax, you hint like my mother, stop." Harm found it difficult to be stern tonight.

"See, now I was always under the impression that Trish had a pretty good sense for this kind of thing." Keeter was taking his chance now.

"Et tu Keeter?" Harm eyed his friend in the rear-view mirror.

"Hey, they were just paying me a compliment; lighten up, stick-boy." Mac commented in a pouting voice.

"Stick-boy? And the pet-names just keep on coming." Keeter joked which caused him, Mac and Bax to laugh.

"You know, the three of you are supposed to be my friends. I'm putting the two of you up at my apartment this week and all you can do is make fun of me?" Harm joshed.

"Well, what we had originally intended to do, was pick on your choice of women but Keeter thought that would be gauche." Bax jostled right back.

"Bax, neither you or Keeter exactly has the track record to be criticizing me." Harm reminded his two friends. "Bax how many girlfriends have you had since the Academy?"

"At one time or all tolled?" Bax replied.

"My point exactly. Keeter, same question." Harm responded.

"Same answer." Keeter replied with a self-satisfied smile. "But at least the girls that Bax and I pick are harmless. If you'll pardon the pun."

"Now just what is that supposed to mean?" Harm's curiosity was bristled. Mac watched the interplay with great interest. She knew that Bax and Keeter were likely going to be able to get criticisms that she would get sniped at for making.

"Well, let's take the Queen of the Cutting Room Floor, that last girlfriend of yours, the video director. Harm, when I met her I was worried that if she slipped and hit her head on something sharp, it would deflate." Bax's remark got laughs from Keeter and Mac and ever a quick chuckle out of Harm himself.

"She wasn't that dumb." Harm protested weakly.

"Harm, when you and I tried to have a discussion about the election, all she could talk about is whether Bush should have worn Ralph Lauren or Calvin Klein." Bax retorted.

"So she wasn't versed in certain matters." Harm tried to explain.

"Buddy, the word is 'ditz'." Keeter clarified.

"Alright, so that's Renee, what can you two say about Jordan. I thought she was alright." Harm was now inviting abuse.

"I'll take this one since Bax handled the last one. Harm, the woman was controlling, obsessive and dominating, all three are things that aren't exactly compatible with any fighter pilot mentality." Keeter explained.

"You know, you two are in the wrong fields, you two should be relationship counsellors." Harm joked. "You know, I could pick apart your relationships."

"Hey, go ahead; I'm well aware of the fact that I'm a romantic screw-up." Bax raised his hands into the surrender position.

"See, there's no winning an argument with you. You don't get passionate enough about anything to argue about it." Harm criticized.

"Yeah, with that kind of attitude, they'll make you an Admiral, Bax." Keeter added.

"Okay, we're here." Harm pulled the Lexus into the parking lot and everyone got out. When they got to the front door of the club, they saw Sturgis and Gunny there waiting for them.

"Please don't tell me that the Admiral picked up a cocktail waitress and went home already." Keeter joked as they walked up to the door.

"No, he got called away to some high-level, big brass briefing at the Pentagon. He cursed a lot under his breath before he left too. I think he was looking forward to having some fun tonight." Sturgis informed his friends as they walked into the club.

"So, what do you guys have in mind for tonight?" Mac asked innocently as the door to the club closed behind them.


	2. The Club

"What do we do at the club? It's simple, we dance, we drink, we talk and we bullshit." Sturgis answered Mac's question as the party of six picked a booth against the far wall. The club was dimly with the cliché laser/disco/techno lighting for the dancing area and sound speakers that blared 'music' at levels normally reserved for movie theatre sound testing.

"First we get drinks." Bax informed her as the waitress came over to the table. "Martini."

"Bourbon." Keeter answered.

"Bourbon." Sturgis replied.

"Beer." Was the Gunny's response.

"Water." Harm smiled weakly at the waitress.

"Tonic water with lime." Mac finished for the group. "Alright, so what do you guys normally talk about? Wait, let me guess, work, cars, sports and women." Mac sarcastically tossed at them.

"She's good, Hammer. She got every last one. Most women forget work." Keeter joshed.

"She's a Marine, we never forget anything." Gunny stated firmly.

"Alright, the Colonel has set the agenda, gentlemen. What do we want to talk about?" Sturgis asked the table.

"Why don't you guys just talk like you normally do? It's not like you're going to offend my sensibilities." Mac explained.

"Let's be really old school about this and pretend like this is the Bull Moose back in Annapolis. Harm who was better in bed; Annie, Jordan or Renee?" Keeter asked with a challenging nod.

"Hard to say. Not Renee, definitely. I'd have to say Jordan. That woman could get into it; you would not believe the dirty talk that would fly from her mouth when she got into it." Harm and the guys shared a laugh and Mac tried to contain her amazement. She would never have been able to picture Harm talking this openly about this kind of stuff. "What about you, Bax, you've been abnormally quiet. Not a banner year for the SEAL?"

"On the contrary. A Senator's daughter, a stewardess and a Dutch diplomat this year." Bax stated with an evident pride.

"A Senator's daughter, which state?" Gunny inquired.

"A Georgia peach." Bax replied smugly.

"Attaboy, Bax." Keeter basically cheered.

"However, gentlemen, we all know, that of any of us, Harm has had the most interesting decade when it comes to women, so I yield the floor that we might question him a little more." Bax stated in his most fake upper-class way.

"I have a question." Mac stated, in an effort not to fall behind.

"Oh, this ought to be good." Sturgis remarked with a peaked interest.

"A few months ago, you were talking to me and you used the sentence 'you ought to know, sweet thing'; care to explain it?" Mac quirked an eyebrow. Harm looked like a deer in the headlights and all action at the table stopped.

"I fell out of the Admiral's chair and hit my head. I was seeing things all day, I guess I was hearing things and having dialogues too." Harm laughed self-deprecatingly, knowing that he had successfully covered his ass.

"See, we bullshit." Keeter joked. "Alright Harm, here's what I want to know. You and Meg, did you ever…you know, get hot and heavy?"

"Once. After the investigation into Diane's murder, I was sulking around the apartment for weeks. Meg decided to take it upon herself to come over and help me through it. We just got carried away in a collection of outside emotions and the whole scene was really awkward the next morning." Harm explained shaking his head.

"You broke the regs?" Mac's eyes were wide and her mouth was agape.

"I'm not proud of it but like I said, it was just being overwhelmed by everything else that caused it." Harm explained.

"Alright, enough for the downer stories; Harm, Sturgis Gunny, with the exception of our goddess of JAG here…"Bax pointed at Mac.

"Smooth talker." Mac interrupted.

"Thank you. Is there anyone else at JAG worth taking a shot at?" Bax played with the olive in his martini glass.

"I always thought Commander Imes cleaned up nicely." Gunny commented as he took a swig of his beer.

"Carolyn Imes, Gunny?" Harm questioned with an obviously surprised look.

"Not much else at the office to look at, sir." Gunny replied, fiddling with the label on his beer bottle.

"What about Harriet?" Mac questioned.

"Guys Code of Honour; can't look at your friend's wife or girlfriend that way." Sturgis piped up as the waitress brought him and Keeter their second round.

"You guys honestly think like that?" Mac was evidently very surprised.

"Yeah, I mean no woman is worth risking a good friend over. The second they start dating, she comes with an 'off limits' sign." Keeter explained.

"We realize that most of the male species doesn't think that way, but it's that kind of thinking that kept us friends through our Academy days." Harm finished.

"Only the four of you could think of something that's simultaneously honourable and chauvinistic." Mac commented, still slightly in disbelief.

"Five." Gunny raised his beer.

"See, the Gunny knows what we're talking about, Mac." Harm almost taunted.

"This must be part of what contributes to the famous Rabb control." Mac jousted right back.

"There's no way we can take credit for that. That was in place well before we ever met him." Sturgis laughed heartily.

"Now, here's what I want to know, Bax. Why did you exempt me from that little question you asked Harm, Sturgis and Gunny earlier?" Mac was getting right into the spirit of this little outing.

"Come on, as if you don't know. You're drop dead fucking gorgeous, none of the women I saw in that office came close." Bax replied almost as if he was stating a fact.

"Hey, I'll agree to that." Keeter raised his shotglass. Mac tried not to blush. "We're not dead or blind, Mac."

"You two have been hounds since the Academy." Harm slugged Keeter in the shoulder.

"Hey well, it wasn't exactly easy keeping up with the Bull Moose all-star here." Bax shot Harm a sarcastic look

"Bull Moose all-star?" Mac tossed Harm an intrigued look.

"Back at the Yard we all used to go to this dive of a sports bar called the Bull Moose, over the bar, there was this big mounted moose head. If you brought a girl home from the bar, it was a tradition that you brought her bra back the next day and shot it up on to the antlers of the moose." Sturgis informed Mac, both of them were trying not to break into laughter. "Whoever shot the most bras up there by the end of the school year was the Bull Moose all-star. In our third year, it was down to Harm, Keeter and Bax. On the last day of finals, we all walked into the bar and Harm shot the winning bra on to the antlers of the moose."

"I can't believe it. That doesn't sound like the Harm I know." Mac protested and she watched as Harm sunk into the booth.

"It was twenty years ago. You guys just haven't gotten over it." Harm looked accusingly over at his friends.

"Well, that's because we were all ready to share the title. The only reason we weren't pissed with you for breaking the agreement was because it was Diane's bra and it mean that you finally pulled your head out of your six." Keeter finished off his second bourbon.

"You guys must have been terrors for your instructors." Gunny added.

"Should we tell him about the time Bax was caught with Captain Lewis' daughter?" Harm asked Keeter.

"Oh, man, I'd forgotten all about that." Sturgis replied. "Of course we could tell him about time you tie-dyed Di's uniform. You remember what our Middy-Lieutenant did to you for that one?"

"Was that the time you had to polar bear dive off the dock in January?" Keeter questioned. Mac was cracking up at the thought of Harm having to jump naked into Chesapeake Bay in January.

"You know you two weren't exactly angels either. As I recall, Keeter you got reamed out for writing 'GO NAVY' on your ass and mooning the Army team during the Army-Navy game fourth year." Harm added with a chuckle.

"Don't forget the time that we got Sturgis drunk and convinced him that he had to go to church in his underwear." Bax supplied as he finally finished off his martini.

"As I recall, your father was the guest chaplain that week, wasn't he?" Keeter turned toward Sturgis.

"You guys didn't have to take pictures." Sturgis was even laughing at it.

"Oh, Mac, Gunny, that's nothing though. The ultimate prank was the literature mid-term bet. Whoever got the lowest mark on the exam had to perform one task that the other three created. Well, Harm lost, so we told him that he had to get his dress whites, walk into Diane's room and perform a striptease to _You Shook Me All Night Long_ by AC/DC. He went in to do it, only to find that not only was Di there but so were all her roommates. Just when we didn't think we could laugh any harder; Mr and Mrs Schonke showed up." Bax, Keeter and Sturgis were howling just remembering the incident.

"So Harm gathers up all his clothes in his hands and goes running out into the hallway in his boxers, just to run into our Middy-Lieutenant." Sturgis added. "Harm comes to attention and fixes a salute. Our Lieutenant looks him up and down and says 'Midshipman Rabb, you're out of uniform'."

"To which Harm replied; 'I lost a bet, sir'." Keeter continued. "Our Lieutenant stopped for a second and you could tell that even he was about to bust a gut, he looked right at Harm and said 'Have you been accosting female Midshipmen, Rabb?' My God, I thought Harm was going to die on the spot."

"He almost did, when Trish showed up." Bax finished.

"Your mother saw this?" Mac's entire face was one of complete surprise.

"It was the last day before Christmas leave." Harm explained.

"I don't think I've laughed that hard in a long time." Gunny stated as he wiped a tear from his eye.

"Thanks guys, now I'll never be able to work with these two again." Harm tossed a mock-frustrated look at his buddies.

"Alright, enough of the bull. I want to dance, anyone up for it?" Mac looked around at the table.

"I've had a few, Mac; I'm not in the mood for falling on my ass." Keeter joked.

"I'm in the same boat as Keeter." Sturgis responded.

"Not really the dancing type, Mac." Harm relinquished with a wave.

"I'll take this one if the lady would be so kind." Bax got up from his seat at the booth.

"I don't know, SEAL, think you can handle me?" Mac challenged him with little snarl.

"I guess we'll find out." Bax took Mac by the hand and led her out to the dance floor.

"You really want to let a hound like Bax, get that close to Mac, Harm?" Keeter looked across the table at his old friend.

"Listen, we all know Bax talks a big game, but he's a pussy cat. Besides, Mac's a big girl, she can handle him." Harm explained.

"Amazing, that denial routine of his." Sturgis and Keeter clinked their shotglasses together.

"What exactly does that mean?" Harm leaned into the table.

"Hammer, you're right, Bax is a hound but how would you feel if, knowing that, Mac started to date him?" Keeter pushed his question.

"What Mac does with her own time is none of my business." Harm replied.

"Same as with Commander Brumby, sir?" Gunny added, seeing that the Navy wasn't getting anywhere, this was obviously a task for the Marines.

"You have something to say, Gunny?" Harm turned toward the gunnery sergeant.

"Sir, you give off this vibe around Colonel MacKenzie that a blind man could pick up on. To be honest, sir, I'm surprised it doesn't show up on radar." Gunny replied, finishing off his second beer.

"Just for that one, Gunny, your next round is on me." Keeter motioned for the waitress.

Out on the dance floor, Bax and Mac were getting rather close as their movements picked up in step with the tempo of the song.

"So, tell me about yourself." Mac stated quickly.

"Not much to tell, SEAL, going to Surface Warfare School now." Bax replied as he pulled Mac a little closer. "What about you?"

"JAG lawyer, used to be in Admin." Mac replied.

"You want me to help you make Harm jealous enough to act?" Bax smiled maniacally.

"Am I that obvious?" Mac replied, the rapidity of the movements making her breaths more rapid as well.

"To anyone who looks hard enough." Bax replied.

"What did you have in mind?" Mac breathed out.

"Follow my lead." Bax moved his hands to her hips and brought her in close. Mac raised her hands to run her fingers along the stubble on his face. Quickly Bax turned Mac around so her back was facing him and he moved his hands to her thighs.

"Any higher and you get yourself killed." Mac warned in a whisper.

"I know, like I said, I'm not stupid enough to take a run at you myself, knowing how you two look at each other. This is a show." Bax whispered right back. "Besides, I need to talk to Harm about something later."

"Oh, what are you and Harm going to talk about?" Mac turned and placed her hands on Bax's chest.

"I need to get his permission for something." Bax replied as he slid his hands up to Mac's waist. "I want to get serious with one of Harm's exes, and Guys Code of Honour says I have to get his permission."

"Only you guys would come up with a dumb rule like that." Mac moved her hands up Bax's chest to his neck. "Who is she?"

"Kate Pike." Bax replied and Mac looked shocked for a moment.

Back at the table, it was easy to see the amusement on the faces of Sturgis, Keeter and Gunny. Harm, on the other hand looked rather annoyed.

"Even after twenty years, old Bax has still got it." Keeter joked, by now he and Sturgis were working on their fifth bourbons and Gunny was on his seventh beer.

"Smoke and mirrors." Harm replied, laughing nervously. He hadn't taken his eyes off of Mac since she started dancing. Grinding was more like it. He knew after Manly beach that Mac had some pretty liberal sexual boundaries and he knew from the Academy that Bax was a dog when it came to women, that's what made the scene particularly unnerving.

When Mac stopped for a second and looked completely surprised up at Bax, everyone at the table seemed puzzled. "What do you think he said to warrant that kind of response?" Gunny turned toward Harm.

"Well, he didn't get slapped, so it wasn't rude or vulgar, it just looks like he said something that surprised the hell out of her." Harm responded, slightly puzzled himself.

"Judging by a few of those moves earlier, I didn't think a whole lot of talking was involved in what they were doing." Keeter knocked back another shot of bourbon.

"What's that supposed to mean Keet?" Harm practically leapt out of his seat.

"Settle down buddy, Keeter has a point though, Mac and Bax did seem pretty close out there a few minutes ago." Sturgis put a hand on Harm's shoulder to ease him back into the seat.

"Besides, sir, Commander Baxter seems like a decent guy, he'd never go after the Colonel knowing how you look at her." Gunny added.

"Something to share with the class, Gunny?" Harm turned his head toward the gunnery sergeant.

"Just calling them as I see them, sir." Gunny raised his beer to his lips. The song ended and Bax and Mac came back up to the table.

"Oh my God, that was fun!" Mac was smiling widely as she threw herself into the booth.

"I think I have to remember that I'm about to turn forty, I'm not built for that any more." Bax sounded winded as he dropped into the booth.

"You're starting to sound like an old man, Baxter." Harm slugged his friend in the shoulder.

"I could still take you in a game of numbers, Rabb." Bax challenged, his chin raised proudly into the air.

"Numbers? Why do I feel another Academy story coming?" Mac looked around the table, waiting for an explanation.

"At the Bull Moose, we all used to play the game of Numbers. Whoever collected the least phone numbers one night, had to pick up the tab the next night we went out." Sturgis explained to Mac as the waitress slid another drink down in front of him.

"So what do you say, Hammer? Think you and the Bax-man are ready to come out of retirement for one no-holds-barred game?" Keeter shoved Harm slightly.

"I'll even play." Gunny got up out of his seat.

"I'm game." Bax said.

"You're on." Harm added and the three men made their way out into the club.

"What do you think, Mac, who's got the edge?" Sturgis was starting to slur his words, but one could hardly be surprised with a man on his seventh bourbon.

"Hard to say. First impressions go to Harm, his smile and eyes are a great ice-breaker. Conversations go to Gunny, he can really make you warm up and I've seen him talk to women. If it comes down to a dance, the edge goes to Bax." Mac stated as they watched the three men work their magic on respective targets.

Sure enough, after about ninety minutes, Mac's analysis of the three men's strengths was dead on. Harm's first impressions had worked their wonders on a few blondes, Gunny was able to entertain multiple women at a time when he talked and even though you could tell it was taking a physical toll, Bax was in hot demand on the dance floor. Mac had told the waitress to cut Keeter and Sturgis off at ten and she had done just that, although, she had to admit that a drunken Sturgis Turner was a humorous sight.

Mac called the contestants back to the table and they came a running, all of them smiling. "Alright, let's see who managed to be the most successful at being a middle-aged playboy." Mac joked as the guys took their seats. "First, the challenger." Bax pulled a few slips of paper out of his pocket and put them down on the table. "Commander Baxter registers with nine. Next, the challenged." Harm reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a few slips of paper of his own. "Commander Rabb registers with nine as well. Finally, the Marine." Mac pointed at Gunny.

Gunny reached into both of his pockets and produced, what on could judge just from looking, was more slips of paper that either Bax or Harm. "Gunnery Sergeant Galindez registers with twelve. Score one for the Marines."

"Impressive, Gunny." Harm gave Gunny a pat on the back.

"Takes some doing to beat Hammer and I." Bax also gave the Gunny a pat on the back.

"Not if you're a Marine." Gunny thumped his chest proudly.

"Let me buy the triumphant Marine his next round than." Harm motioned for the waitress and Gunny ordered another beer.

An hour later, they decided to pack up and head home. Sturgis and Gunny were in no condition to drive and Keeter looked like he was about to pass out so the three drunk members of the party were brought back to Harm's apartment by the three sober members. Harm and Bax were given the duty of dragging Sturgis and Keeter up the stairs. Both of the distinguished Navy Commanders had passed out in the Lexus on the ride over and the Gunny was clinging to the last threads of his consciousness. Harm laid Keeter out on the couch and dragged the air mattress over for Bax to lay Sturgis out on.

"Sir, I hate to be a bother but…permission to pass out, sir?" Gunny managed to fix a sloppy salute.

"Permission granted, Gunny." Harm chortled and Gunny passed out on his stomach on the floor.

"Hey Mac, could you watch the gruesome threesome for a minute, I've got to talk to Harm about something privately?" Bax turned his attention to the only standing Marine in the room.

"Sure Bax, you two go on." Mac pushed them out the door and closed it behind them.

"Okay Bax, what is so important." Harm's tone was largely the product of the display that he'd witnessed on the dance floor at the club.

"I need permission." Bax stated simply.

"Permission for what?" Harm's confusion was evident.

"You know, permission." Bax tried to use a little more insinuation so that Harm would get his drift.

"Bax, what the hell are you talking about?" Harm voiced his confusion and growing frustration at the cryptic remarks.

"I need permission to date a girl you've expressed interest in." Bax explained quickly. Harm felt his heart stop. Was one of his oldest friends about to try and take a run at Mac right under his nose? God, dealing with Bugme had been one thing, there was nothing likeable about the man but Bax. If Bax and Mac ended up dating he'd have to keep his mouth shut, he couldn't ask Mac what she saw in him as a guy without her challenging what he saw in Bax as a friend. Bax had given him the chance to end that possibility right now though. All Harm had to do was answer in the negative and Bax would hold true to the Code of Honour and back off completely.


	3. Letting Go

"Who is it?" Harm was trying not to allow his voice to betray the emotions swirling around in his head. Bax, having known Harm for twenty years could tell there was something wrong with his friend. Harm looking like he was holding his breath and stopping his heart at the same time.

"It's Kate Pike, buddy." Bax smiled quickly and he laughed a little as Harm let out a heavy exhale. "Who did you think I was going to say?" Bax was laughing slightly and he watched as Harm glanced quickly at the door to his apartment before returning his focus to their conversation. The eye movement wasn't lost on the SEAL. "Oh my God, you thought it was Mac!"

"I…I…no I didn't." Harm protested weakly.

"Come on Hammer, I know I can be a hound but I thought you at least respected me as a friend. I see how you look at her." Harm went to protest but Bax raised him open palm to silence him. "Don't try to deny it, everyone sees it. Keeter told me he saw it back in Iran, hell Sturgis emails me updates. I thought you learned from the Academy buddy. It took you two years to ask Diane out on your first date. I want to know what's stopping you. And don't insult my intelligence with the rules and regulations bullshit, what's honestly stopping you?"

"How about the fact that over the last two years we said every possible nasty thing to each other in an effort to push each other away and love two people that we never could, is that a good reason?" Harm seemed to inflate at the shoulders into a more imposing figure.

"I know it's a tall order to ask Harmon Rabb not to live in the past, but goddamn it Harm, you're going to have to learn how to do it eventually. Alright, your dad, that we all understood and on that one, every last one of us would have gone to Russia with you if that's what it took. Diane, hell that's another one where you could've counted on having all of us stand beside you. What else is there, Harm? Is this about Mace? Or Gym? What is it that has you incapable of moving on?" Bax watched Harm retreat slightly.

"Maybe it's about all of them, did you ever think of that? No, you wouldn't because as usual, Ethan Baxter has to have all the answers. Well guess what, Bax? You weren't the one who lost your father at six; or your RIO and friend because of your vision; or the woman you love because you decided against picking her up at the pier that night." Harm's voice was breaking under the emotion.

"You know what, Harm? You're right; I haven't had to go through all that. I mean yeah I lost my older brother at ten because he was killed on a mission. As for the Diane thing, did it somehow conveniently slip your memory that Steph died in my arms? You were there as I recall, you called the ambulance.Yeah; I lost a close friend that night on the Norfolk pier, too. I also had to receive a call from a distraught Trish Burnett telling me that you were in a hospital in Germany because you almost got killed in a ramp strike. I was the one who had to find out from your mother that you were missing in Russia and I was the one who got the phone call last year that told me that you had gone down in the Atlantic. You want to talk about seeing friends in pain? How about that summer after your ramp strike that we all spent up at your grandmother's farm? You think it didn't kill Keeter, or Sturgis, or me or especially Diane to see you moping around like that? Please. We all go through tough shit, Harm. What gives you more right than any of us to dwell on it and blame yourself for it?" Bax challenged as he refused to let Harm retreat into the apartment.

"What do you want me to say, Bax? You want me to tell you that I'm afraid, is that it? You want me to look you in the eye and tell you that the idea of actually sitting down and talking to Mac about this has me petrified?" Harm lashed out.

"Harm, you and I were never the closest two people in the group but we always respected each other enough to not let the other get away with excuses and bullshit. You never let me do it when I needed a little tough brotherly love and I'm not going to let you do it now. What are you afraid of?" Bax's tone softened.

Harm stopped for a second and took a deep breath. He wasn't sure that he could muster the force that he had mustered seconds earlier. "Losing her." He replied weakly. "Oh God, Bax, I'm afraid of losing her." Harm's reply was followed with a few cathartic tears.

"It's okay, buddy. Remember, you told me once that it was okay to be afraid. It was God's way of keeping us alive. Without fear we would walk carelessly out into crowded street or jump from great heights without a parachute…well I guess that part of it didn't take since HALO jumps have become part of my job, but the rest of it was a pretty nice speech." Bax joked as he walked up next to Harm and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Bax, you can be a horse's ass sometimes you know that?" Harm laughed a little at the line.

"Yeah, I know, but every group of friends needs one right?" Bax countered.

"Hey, between you and Keeter we ended up with more than our fair share." Harm chortled, gaining his good mood back.

"Harm, here's what I suggest, I'm gonna sack out on your floor, take Mac into your room, sit on your bed and talk with her. Get over whatever is in the past between you that makes you hesitant and don't stop talking until you've reached that point. I'm not going to suggest you do anything more while you have three passed out Naval officers and a passed out Marine gunnery sergeant in your living room." The two men turned back toward the door of the apartment.

"Sounds good. I could use something to make me laugh though. Why don't you tell me how you and Kate got together?" Harm was back to smiling widely as they walked into the apartment.

"What makes you think that would be a funny story?" Bax almost sounded offended as he shut the door behind them.

"Because I know you too well. So, are you going to tell me or not?" Harm turned back toward Bax as they moved into the kitchen area.

"Tell you what?" Mac asked coming down out of Harm's bedroom.

"How he and Kate Pike got together." Harm offered readily.

"I could use a good comedy too." Mac joked standing near the sink.

"You two think you're so funny." Bax took a seat.

"You gonna tell us or not?" Harm pushed slightly and he slid Bax a bottled water.

"Not much to tell. Kate was the JAG advisor assigned by the Rosie Roads NLSO to oversee the implementation of the new ROEs. Kate and I got into some kind of argument over god knows what. One minute we're shouting at each other, the next minute she pounced at me and we're locked together at the lips. She threw me back on to the table we were using, locked the door and you can pretty much take it from there." Bax was using some rather animated hand gestures and carefully avoiding Harm's gaze.

"That sounds like Kate, yeah." Harm nodded.

"Hey, you're talking about the woman I love." Bax warned with a stern wagging of his index finger.

"Whoa! Bax just used the big four letter 'L' word; I never thought I'd see the day. We all thought any woman who got you to use that word would have to torture you for days to get it out of you." Harm joked as he and Bax clinked their water bottles together.

"We all thought you were going to be first. Remember the Tontine?" Bax stated.

"Tontine? You guys bet on this?" Mac looked at the two men.

"On Christmas leave during our last year at the Academy we all went up to Grandma Sarah's. She told us all to clean out the cellar, so we went down into the cellar and we found this bottle of wine, God, what was the year on that label, Bax?" Harm asked, lost in the moment of reflection.

"1856." Bax replied.

"1856, that's right. Well, Bax is like me, he's from California except his family owns a vineyard in Napa Valley. Well after spending a few hours examining the bottle, Bax tells us that the wine is remarkably well preserved, in fact, it's still drinkable. So the four of us; Keeter, Bax, Sturgis and I made a pact, a tontine, that whoever was the first to get married, the best man would toast with a glass of wine from that bottle." Harm was smiling so widely that it warmed Mac's heart to really see him that happy.

"Do you remember the order we figured it would happen in?" Bax asked as he raised his water to his lips.

"Yeah, it was me, Sturgis, Keeter then we all figured that if you ever got married, you'd be last." Harm laughed slightly. "Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine you'd be first."

"Well, she hasn't said 'yes' yet and I'm not even sure when I'm going to ask her." Bax smiled fondly. "I guess sometimes, if it's the right person, you just know it's an inevitability."

"Whoa, Kate really has changed you. Either that, or you're running one hell of a fever." Harm joked.

"Well, I'm gonna sack out for the night, Hammer, remember what I said." Bax walked back into the living room and laid down on the floor.

"What did he say?" Mac asked timidly.

"He suggested that you and I go up into the bedroom, sit on the bed and talk about everything that's happened over these last two years. I don't want to swell his head any more than it already is, but when Bax has a good idea, it's damn good one and this is a damn good one." Harm took her by the hand and turned his body toward the bedroom. "What do you say?"

"If we're going to do this, we have to promise right now, no running. We turn to each other rather than away from each other, agreed?" Mac studied his eyes, awaiting his response.

"No matter how bad it gets, I'll turn to you." He stated softly and she walked with him to the bedroom. He sat down on one side of the bed and she sat down on the other and they turned to face each other. "I suppose it's only fair that you start first, I can only think of two possible starting points for this conversation and in both cases, the grievance is yours."

"Harm, it's not a grievance, it's two things which I've had problems comprehending, one of them I now do. I know why you went back to flying but I didn't understand why until the Admiral's porch. When you told me about what happens when a pilot loses control, I understood. You felt as if you didn't have control when you left flying, that it had been taken from you. You were able to get that control back and start making choices about a life that you felt you had chosen rather then one that had been chosen for you." Mac gently let her hand fall on his in the middle of the bed.

"You're good at this, you know I used to think you knew me better than I knew myself, I guess I was a fool to ever stop thinking that." Harm joked lightly.

"At the same time, it makes Sydney a little harder to understand. If you finally had a life that you were choosing, then it means that you didn't want me in it, at least in the capacity I was hoping for at the time." Mac stated nervously, carefully avoiding his gaze.

"Mac, that wasn't it. Yes, I finally felt like I had control over my destiny and I was trying to see where everything fit in that. Doing that isn't exactly easy with everything that was going on at JAG. I mean, it took everything I had when I came back to try and understand why you were treating me so coldly. When you finally started to warm up while you were going through the Farmer appeal, I was trying to adapt to that again. God Mac, that night when you wanted to go to dinner and I already had plans with Renee, I would've cancelled them in a heartbeat if you had told me how important it was." Harm enveloped her hand in his.

"You really would have." Mac stated as she looked up into his eyes to see the sincerity there.

"Yes of course. But then after that happened, there was that whole incident where I almost drowned and then we went right into that damn Australia fiasco. Now, before we launch into who did what, can I explain a few things about why the whole ferry incident played out like a poorly written soap opera?" Harm asked with a sly smile. Mac nodded and Harm launched into it. "First off, I think I was still getting over seeing you topless on the beach. I kept telling myself that you never would have done something like that if you were on the beach with me."

"When was the first, last or any time between that you ever asked me?" Mac replied quickly.

"Point taken. Secondly, my head was so wrapped around beating Brumby in the damn Lee case that everything else seemed to take a back seat. That 'not yet' I gave you had a few meanings. I wanted to be able to give you the attention that you deserved and I knew that I wouldn't be able to do that as long as I was focusing on that case. More importantly there were two things. The first of which is that my life was so screwed up at that point that any relationship I attempted would have been a disaster, hence Renee. Secondly, and I realize that this would be completely out of character for you but it was a reason in my mind, the language that you were using indicated to me that you only wanted me while we were in Australia." Harm concluded with a breath.

"Alright, can I talk now?" Mac examined his features and was pleased when he nodded. "Good, alright, I understand the work thing and I can understand you wanting to get your life in order. Why couldn't you just tell me that? If you would have said 'Sarah, I care about you too much to start a relationship right now because I believe I'll only hurt you or I won't be able to give you the attention you deserve' I would have had some questions about when you would be ready, but I would have understood." Mac gulped, not believing the open door attitude that they had taken on.

"You know, for two lawyers, our communication skills leave a lot to be desired." Harm remarked.

"Tell me about it. Alright, now let's get to the fling misunderstanding. You're right, it's not in my character to have a one night stand but reflecting on what I said that night, if it had been you talking, I probably would have thought you were propositioning me. The difference is, I would have said yes." Mac joked light-heartedly.

"What happened to not being one for one night stands?" Harm's surprise overwhelming him.

"You have a tendency to make me consider a lot of things I never would have considered before, like buying a corvette." Mac retorted. "I guess this brings us to the real crux of the last two years."

"Yeah, I suppose it does. Listen Mac, I want to ask the question and I know we promised not to run but I don't want to ask the question if it's going to make you angry." Harm whispered quietly.

"I took the ring because I thought…you had closed the door on any chance of us being together. When I couldn't have you, I reached for what I could have. It was desperate and it was foolish and it would have made me miserable but that night on the ferry that phantom clock was ringing so damn loud I just needed a way to hit the snooze button that would stop it. Harm, I came to a realization sometime between the engagement party and your dip in the Atlantic. Have you ever seen _It's a Wonderful Life_?" Mac couldn't believe she was about to say this.

"Yeah, Christmas movie, guy's given a glimpse into what life would be like if he was never born." Harm supplied the information in a slightly confused tone.

"Yeah, that's right. Now, you have to promise not to freak out at what I'm about to tell you." Mac looked at him sternly and Harm raised two fingers in a Boy Scout pledge. "There's this line in the movie where Mary looks at George and she says 'I want my babies to look like you' and Harm that was the realization I came to. Every time I closed my eyes and I saw my son or daughter at a t-ball game or on their first day of school, they never looked like Mic, they always looked like you." Mac sounded completely vulnerable, in a tone that brought him back two years to that night on the ferry in Sydney.

"What does this mean?" Harm tried to clear up the situation without letting the swirling emotions of his mind get the better of him.

"I'll wait. As long as it takes, if it means a little boy with his daddy's smile and eyes." She stated softly, trying hard to quell the tears rushing to her eyes.

"What about a little girl with her mommy's skin tone and big beautiful brown eyes?" Harm raised a hand to brush Mac's cheek lightly. "She'd be perfect."

"Harm…" Mac stated softly, not quite sure what to make of his display of tenderness.

"Let's go." He took her by the hand and led her frantically off the bed.

"Where?" Mac questioned with a smile.

"Atlantic City, let's go get married." Harm was smiling widely, almost like he'd lost his mind.

"Harm, we can't just go get married, what about everyone we're leaving here?" Mac questioned.

"Bax is sober, he'll take care of them tomorrow morning, now come on." He pulled her closer to the door.

"What about the Admiral, he's not going to like not being told about this." Mac hesitated again.

"Fuck the Admiral. Marriage is about the two people involved, not everyone who isn't, come on, let's go, we're burning time." Harm stated as the continued to walk toward the door.

"What about your mother, she won't like this exactly." Mac was now taking a few cautious steps on her own.

"Are you kidding? My mother finds out that I've married and you and she'll never stop smiling, squealing or sounding like someone's tickled her for the last eight months. Now, let's go." Harm opened the door.

"Harm, there's a lot more thought that tends to go into this kind of thing." Mac stressed, her steps upgrading from cautious to weary.

"I love you, you love me, and we want to have a family, what the hell else needs to be thought about? Are you driving or am I?" Harm stood in the doorway pulling his shoes on.

"Say that first part again." Mac stated, sounding completely blindsided by what he'd just said.

"I love you, can we get a move on, I'd like to have a Mrs. Rabb at some point within the next twenty-four hours." Harm pulled his jacket over his shoulders.

"We're going to need a witness." Mac stated with a smile. Harm realized that he would leave it up to her to remember a small but necessary detail. Harm walked into the living room while Mac was getting ready. He kicked Bax lightly in the ribs.

"Get up we need a witness." Harm stated forcefully.

"Are we committing a felony?" Bax stated as he slowly got to his feet.

"No, we're getting married." Harm stated quickly, not taking time to choose his words.

"That's very sweet Harm but I'm afraid you're not my type." Bax stated drowsily.

"Not you and me, idiot, me and Mac, we're going to Atlantic City." Harm pulled Bax along by the collar.

"You know, I remember the days when the pleasant voice of our Middy-Lieutenant shouting in my ears used to wake me up. Now it's my buddy telling me he's getting married……wait, you two are getting married?" Bax's brain finally snapped on.

"By Jove, I think he's got it." Harm stated blandly.

"Oh good, you picked the sober one." Mac was being humorous.

"I feel so loved." Bax was sarcastic. "Has one of you perhaps thought of leaving a note to explain our absence to Sturgis, Keeter and Gunny?"

"The man has another good point." Mac reminded Harm.

"Fine, you know there might actually be more effort in eloping than having a planned wedding." Harm commented. He walked over to the kitchen, scribbled a few lines on a piece of paper and walked back over to the door. "There can we think of anything else?"

"Are you gonna let me sleep in the Lexus?" Bax yawned openly.

"Anything you want, buddy." Harm gave Bax a pat on the shoulder and the party of three walked out of the apartment.

"So, Harm does this mean I'm your fiancée?" Mac questioned as the three of them stood in the elevator.

"Until we say 'I do'." Harm leaned in and kissed her quickly on the lips.

"If you two are going to be lovey-dovey the whole way, I'm glad I'll be asleep." Bax was kind of teetering on his feet. The elevator brought them to the bottom floor and Harm dragged them out and piled everyone into the Lexus. Bax in the backseat and Mac in the shotgun seat next to him. Within minutes of putting his seatbelt on, Bax was asleep again.

"I just realized something." Mac's eyebrows shot up on her forehead.

"What's that, baby?" Harm turned toward her.

"We're engaged and we've never actually kissed as a couple." Mac stated with a deal of remorse.

"Well, let's just change that right now, shall we?" Harm leaned over the console and his lips met Mac's in a sweet and tender kiss that had both of them smiling afterward.

"Hard to believe in a few hours I'm going to be Mrs. Rabb." Mac's reflection was laced with a deal of shock.

"You don't mind it, taking my name I mean?" Harm inquired.

"It's a dream come true." Mac smiled sweetly.

"Oh……Kate." Bax muttered in his sleep in the backseat.

"Maybe not his dream." Harm joked as he put the Lexus in drive and started the long drive that would determine his and Mac's future.


	4. The Chase

The drive to Atlantic City was long; it wasn't that bad considering that the hour wasn't known for creating traffic on the interstate. Bax slept through most of Maryland until Mac shook him awake as they neared the border with Pennsylvania. "What? I was having the most pleasant dream?"

"We know, you talk in your sleep, remember?" Harm commented looking in the rear-view mirror.

"Really? Kate's never said anything." Bax muttered as he shook his head.

"That's because the things you say in your sleep would be a great ego boost for her." Mac chuckled.

"Wait, I was supposed to call her. Guess I should do that." Bax pulled his cell phone out of his pocket.

"Bax, it's 0200." Harm stated with surprise.

"Yeah, but Kate's funny that way. She tells me to call no matter what time it is, it's weird." Bax pressed the familiar numbers into the keypad.

"Yeah, women in love, go figure." Mac stated sarcastically.

(Hello…) The sleepy voice of Kate Pike came over the receiver.

(Morning, Sunshine) Bax stated with a smile.

(Ethan, it's 0200, you picked this time to check in? You guys must have had one wild night.)

"It's not over yet, I'm on the road with Harm right now. He's getting married, tonight." Bax pulled the cellphone away from his head as Kate screamed into it. "Women; why do they always scream?"

(Is Harm there? Put him on.)

"Honey, he's driving, we're on our way to Atlantic City."

(Really? I'm on assignment at Naval Weapons Station Earle in Sandy Hook Bay; I'll come join you guys)

"You may want to ask the bride if that's okay." Bax chortled at Kate's enthusiasm

(Alright, put Mac on)

"She wants to talk to you." Bax handed Mac the phone.

"Me? Why would she want to talk to me?" Mac was noticeably taken aback.

"How the fuck should I know?" Bax watched as Mac raised the phone to her ear.

"Kate?" Mac stated uncertainly.

(Hey Mac, so I remember this Marine once telling me that there was nothing going on between her and a certain Navy Commander)

"Up until a few hours ago, I still would have been right." Mac joked.

(Ethan says you all are headed for Atlantic City, is it okay if I join you? I haven't seen him, much less been in the same state for the last month)

"Sure, Bax will tell you what hotel we'll be at when we get there. Nice talking to you again, Kate." Mac handed the phone back to Bax.

"Hi, honey." Bax sounded cheerful as he spoke into the phone.

(Ethan, do you know what happened that caused all this?)

"True to form, I was asleep the whole damn time."

(So long as you're not asleep for the important parts of _our_ stay in Atlantic City)

"You will be the death of me, Love you Kate." Bax replied drowsily.

(Love you too, Ethan)

"Kate's ministrations too much for a SEAL?" Harm inquired with a laugh.

"Not a SEAL anymore, if I want my Captain's Eagles, I have to change streams. I start Surface Warfare School in a few days." Bax informed Harm.

"You're leaving the brotherhood? I thought they would've had to drag you out." Harm was surprised to say the least.

"Opportunities for career advancement. They're going to give me a command and a carrier, last I checked, I'd be a fool to pass that up." Bax settled back down on the backseat.

35 MINUTES EARLIER

HARM'S APARTMENT

NORTH OF UNION STATION

"Sir, you might want to see this." Gunny nudged Sturgis to wake him up.

"What is it, Gunny, is the apartment on fire?" Sturgis muttered as he came back to consciousness.

"It might as well be, sir." Gunny handed Sturgis the note. Sturgis blinked a few times and proceeded to read what Gunny had handed to him.

_Hey Guys,_

_Don't worry about us. Mac and I have run off to Atlantic City to get married! We took Bax with us because Mac figures we'll need a witness. See you all tomorrow when we get back._

_Harm, Mac, Bax_

"Keeter, wake up!" Sturgis growled and smacked Keeter who was on the couch.

"What, what is it Sturgis?" Keeter groaned as he woke up.

"Harm and Mac have eloped." Sturgis stated as he and Gunny scrambled around for their coats.

"Well that's certainly news, hardly important enough to interrupt me and Shania Twain in a hot tub but……wait what?" Keeter sat up on the couch.

"Harm and Mac are getting married in Atlantic City; they dragged Bax along because we were all passed out." Sturgis shook Keeter vigorously.

"Holy Hell!" Keeter bounded off the couch and across the room. "I have a friend who runs a helicopter flying school out of Dulles."

"He runs a helicopter flying school out of a major international airport?" Sturgis asked with evident disbelief.

"Don't ask." Keeter replied.

"Trust me, Jack, wasn't about to." Sturgis commented.

"Anyway, he owes me one, he'll ferry us to Atlantic City." Keeter pulled his jacket on. "You coming, Gunny?"

"Are you kidding? You think I'd miss this?" Gunny joked as the three men left the apartment and caught a taxi to Dulles.

0731 ZULU

HARM'S CAR

INTERSTATE 95

"Harm, what brought all this on?" Mac questioned lightly as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"What do you mean?" Harm wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"Well, what made us go from years of pent up sexual tension to driving down I-95 on our way to get married?" It was evident for Mac that cold feet was starting to settle in.

"A bunch of things. I think when Bax and I were talking about that tontine from all those years ago and I thought that back then I knew exactly where I wanted to be at forty and I'm not there. I realized that one of the reasons I wasn't there was because I didn't have you. I always figured that by forty, I'd have a wife, kids and a family as well as my Navy career and I can't think of anyone I'd love to have as my wife more than you." Harm placed a kiss on top of her head. "It's always been you."

"Now Harm, don't go trying to be all romantic and sentimental. Especially since I know darn well that there were points in your life when it was Diane." Mac was still trying to deal with the idea of going from single to Mrs. Harmon Rabb Jr. in the course of a day.

"Maybe, but my mind has been playing around with this new theory. It is true that as long as I can remember it has been someone who looked just like you but if I recall any of my little daydreams from way back when, there were certain things that just weren't in line with Diane being the woman in question. Things I didn't make anything of, until I met you." Harm was lightly stroking her hair.

"What kind of things?" Mac turned and looked up at him.

"The woman in my daydreams, her smile was more subdued, more intriguing then Diane's and of course her voice was different. It wasn't until I met you that those two factors clued into place. Of course it wasn't until I made my peace with Diane's ghost that I was willing to accept it." Harm returned his hand to the wheel of the car.

"So was it me or her that night?" Mac's self-doubt and vulnerability were beginning to show through.

"If you wouldn't have said anything, it might have been Di but the second you opened your mouth, all the fog lifted from my mind, it was you plain and simple. And if I might add, it was heaven for a few seconds." The two of them shared a few laughs at that comment and they settled back.

"Why did we wait so long?" Mac asked as she rested her hand on his thigh.

"Let's not think about that. Let's just think about the time we've got ahead of us, not the time that's behind us. We can't change it anyway, right?" Harm asked lightly.

"Right. Harm, I know that it doesn't matter now but just for the record. If we'd been communicating better on the ferry. I would've waited." Mac kissed his shoulder lightly. "You're more than worth it."

"Mac, we don't have to dwell on those things, the point is that we're doing it right now." Harm reassured her.

"Wait, is this Harmon Rabb telling me not to get lost in past battles?" Mac sat up in surprise.

"Yeah, well earlier tonight I had some sense smacked into me by a rather ornery Navy SEAL who saw fit to remind me that I'm not the only person in the world who has had unpleasant things happen in their life." Harm pointed toward Bax who was once again sleeping in the backseat.

"Are you telling me that he can actually be a good influence?" Mac's evident shock was enough to make Harm laugh.

"Bax is like Rain Man, he has these moments of completely unpredictable intellectual clarity. The rest of the time it's women, cars and SEAL. It was weird, like in literature class, Professor Holmes would push Bax and push Bax but he couldn't break him. Hell, I thought Holmes was ready to hit Bax at some points because of some of his comments." Harm laughed heartily.

"I could see him frustrating someone to that point. Then again, earlier he worked that pretty impressive snow-job on the Admiral, so I don't really know what to think." Mac sat in her chair slightly dumbfounded.

"Holmes used to go through the same thing. Bax scored perfect on every essay, every test, every assignment that Holmes through at him and I know that Bax got tougher assignments than the rest of the class because of how he used to push back when Holmes leaned on him. If it hadn't been for Bax; Keeter, Sturgis and I never would have scored above and 80 in Lit." Harm was smiling animatedly at the story.

"Sort of the Beautiful Loser type?" Mac inquired playfully.

"We just called him a brother in arms." Harm returned his gaze to the road.

0857 ZULU

DULLES AIRPORT

WASHINGTON, DC

"Jack! What was so damn important you had to pull me out of bed at 0300 to come down here and fire up one of my birds?" The man in a flight jacket walked out from under the propeller blades.

"My buddy's getting married up in Atlantic City! He cut town before we could go with him and now we need a way to get there before they conduct the ceremony." Keeter stated as they all ducked under the blades of the chopper.

"I got a buddy who runs an airfield in Atlantic City, you land there and he'll gas her up and hold on to the bird for me until I can get up there to bring it home. Give your buddy my best and do something nice for him like pay for his honeymoon suite why dontcha?" The man opened the doors to the helicopter and the three men stepped in.

"Keeter, are you sure you know how to fly one of these?" Sturgis sounded more than a little worried as he strapped himself in.

"Yeah, I had to learn for one of Webb's little ops." Keeter pulled the headset on over his ears.

"Webb had to do with you learning how to pilot a helicopter, sir?" Gunny questioned.

"Yeah." Keeter furrowed his brow.

"That's not the most confidence inspiring news I've heard today, sir." Gunny cautioned as Keeter brought the bird up off the ground and headed north toward New Jersey. "Sir, perhaps we should call Lieutenant Roberts and have a little party planned for the Colonel and the Commander when they return, seeing as Monday is Veteran's Day and all."

"Gunny, we'll be lucky if Harm and Mac are out of their hotel room by Monday." Sturgis joked.

"Hey Sturgis, you remember that time Harm put the sock on the door handle at the Academy?" Keeter questioned as he gently guided the helicopter northward.

"Didn't matter, we didn't have to worry about walking in on anything, they were so loud that we could hear them through the damn door." Sturgis concluded the story much to everyone's amusement.

"Who would have thought that sweet little Diane turned into a dirty talker when she was in flagrante delicto." Keeter raised his eyebrows, disbelieving the memory of the event.

"I know, man, some of the things I heard her say curled the hair on the back of my neck. Can you imagine what Harm must have been thinking?" Sturgis was smiling widely.

"Somehow, sir, I doubt that the Commander was concentrating on hearing at that point, sir. Especially if this Diane was anything to look at." Gunny stated somewhat lightly.

"Gunny, you don't know the story about Harm and Diane, do you?" Sturgis turned to face the gunnery sergeant.

"No, sir." Gunny stated cautiously.

"Gunny, you've noticed how attractive Colonel MacKenzie is, correct?" Keeter questioned.

"I'm not dead, blind or gay, sir." Gunny responded and his comment earned laughs.

"Well, let's just say that Colonel MacKenzie and Diane bear something of a resemblance." Sturgis continued.

"What kind of resemblance are we talking about here, sir? Slight, mild, medium?" Gunny shook his head slightly, anticipating an answer.

"They could be identical twins, right down to their cuticles." Keeter supplied as he gave the helicopter some eastward bearing.

"How the hell did the Commander get lucky enough to have two women who…" Keeter cut Gunny off mid-sentence.

"Trust me, Gunny. I spent two days in the Iranian desert asking the same question and only two words kept springing to mind."

"What were they, sir?" Gunny leaned into the front seat.

"Shit happens." Keeter joked.

"You know what, Gunny? That party idea is starting to sound better and better, give me your cellphone, I'll call Lieutenant Roberts." Sturgis reached for the Gunny's phone.

"Now, sir? It's 0400." Gunny's eyes went wide with shock.

"I know, this should be good for a few laughs. I just wish I could be there when Bud's awake enough to realize what I'm telling him." Sturgis chuckled maniacally as he dialled the numbers.

(Lieutenant Roberts…) Bud's drowsy voice picked up after the fourth ring.

"Lieutenant, Commander Turner here." Sturgis was smiling as he spoke into the phone.

(Commander, sir. Is there something wrong, sir?)

"No, Bud, quite the opposite actually. Commander Rabb and Colonel MacKenzie are on their way to Atlantic City to get married and we would like you and Lieutenant Sims to have a party ready for them when they return on Monday." Sturgis stated coolly.

(Did Commander Keeter put you up to this joke, sir? I must say, I'm not sure I get it)

Sturgis covered the mouthpiece to the phone. "He thinks this is some practical joke you put me up to, Keeter."

"The people at JAG must have a really low opinion of me." Keeter tried to sound hurt.

"We've all heard the stories of you guys at Canoe U, sir." Gunny supplied.

"Those are vicious rumours, Gunny, at least they would be if they weren't true." Keeter joked as he lowered the altitude of the helicopter over the approaching Maryland countryside.

"Bud, are you still there?" Sturgis asked.

(Yes, sir)

"Bud, this really isn't a joke. Can't you hear the helicopter blades in the background? The two of them eloped and we're chasing after them to witness the wedding. We would really like it if you and your wife could set up this party." Sturgis got emphatic with the last sentence.

(You're serious, aren't you, sir?)

"Does a bear shit in the woods?" Sturgis replied, giving into the short fuse created by the sound of the chopper blades against his hangover.

(Sir?)

"Yes, Bud I'm very, very serious. Can you do it, Lieutenant?"

(I suppose so, sir, I….)

(Honey, who is it?) Harriet's voice joined in the conversation.

(It's Commander Turner, he just asked me to get a reception ready because Commander Rabb and Colonel MacKenzie have eloped in Atlantic City) The next sound that immediately followed Bud's explanation was Harriet's high-pitched squeal of delight which reeked havoc with Sturgis' hangover.

"Lieutenant, tell your wife that if she does that again, I'll have her court-martialled for assaulting the ears and hangover of a superior officer." Sturgis stated very authoritatively.

(Yes, sir) You could practically hear Bud's grin.

"That will be all, Lieutenant." Sturgis stated and clicked off the phone. "If everyone stationed at JAG HQ doesn't know inside the next half hour, I'll eat my hat."

"Is that a fact?" Keeter turned his gaze toward Sturgis.

1147 ZULU

HARM'S CAR

ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY

"Wake up, dipshit." Harm smacked Bax on the thigh.

"Hey, I came along to be a witness, not to be insulted." Bax stated as he shook his head violently.

"Fine; please wake up, dipshit." Harm rephrased.

"That's better, now, what can I do for you?" Bax smiled weakly as he leaned into the front seat.

"Call Kate, tell her we're going to be at the Trump Taj Mahal." Harm stated simply. Bax pulled his cellphone out of his pocket and pressed the familiar buttons.

(Ethan, my hunky SEAL, where are you guys going to be?)

Bax tried not to blush openly at the comment. "We're going to be at the Trump Taj Mahal."

(I figured that's where you guys would be, I'll be out front waiting for you)

"You're amazing." Bax stated impishly.

(So are you, love you)

"Love you too, baby." Bax closed his phone. "She'll be out front waiting for us."

"Good, we won't have to wait around." Harm stated bluntly.

"You're hell bent on being married by noon, aren't you?" Bax joked.

"Listen, I've run from my future for too long. I should've been embracing it, but I kept running. Now, I'm madly in love with the right woman and I don't want to wait another moment." Harm rambled but his spirit brought a great grin to Mac's face.

"Whatever you say, Chief. I think someone spiked your water at the club." Bax joked as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Harm pulled the Lexus us to the front of the hotel and tossed his keys to the valet. Bax seemed to spring to life the second Kate Pike came into view. The two lovers rushed toward one another and she leapt into his waiting arms for a passionate kiss.

"You could almost hear the fireworks." Mac commented in a whisper to Harm.

"You want fireworks, our room, any time after the ceremony this weekend." Harm returned with a wicked version of his flyboy grin.

"Harmon Rabb, you're naughty." Mac teased.

"Boy, I hope so." Harm remarked as they walked over to where Kate and Bax had finally come up for air.

"Hey guys, nice to see you again." Kate seemed really happy, almost perky.

"Nice to see you, too." Mac replied with a genuine smile.

"Hey, I saw that gunnery sergeant that works with you guys walking around somewhere. He recognized, me and I told him that I was waiting for you guys, I didn't say why. I hope that's okay." Kate was still locked in Bax's embrace.

"Gunny's here?" Mac raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

"That's impossible. In order to beat us here, they would've had to fly…." Harm started when realization hit him, Mac and Bax at the same time.

"Keeter!"


	5. The Wedding

"Did someone call?" Keeter's head popped up over a row of slot machines.

"Keeter, what the hell are you doing here and how did you get here?" Harm walked over and pulled Keeter into a bear hug.

"Well, lucky for us, Gunny's hangover wasn't too bad so when he woke up to take a piss at around 0230, he found your note and woke the rest of us. We all figured that we'd been through too much with you and Mac to miss the big wedding so we called a buddy of mine who runs a whirly-bird school and he lent us a helicopter." Keeter was rather animated with his hand gestures.

"I can only imagine what the three of you decided to get for a wedding present." Harm laughed.

"Already taken care of." Sturgis walked up behind Keeter. "We all chipped in for the honeymoon suite for you and Mac."

"Thanks guys, even though I know that's your own subtle way of telling me to have lots of sex with my bride to be." Harm sounded touched even though he was laughing.

"Yeah, well, the Gunny was the most reluctant about parting with his money." Keeter chuckled lightly.

"Well, he's a Marine what do you expect." Harm answered.

"Hey, aren't you marrying into the Marines?" Bax came walking up behind Harm and gave him a pat on the back.

"Oh yeah." Harm turned around to see that Mac and Kate had disappeared. "Where did the girls go?"

"Kate told Mac that she found a bridal boutique nearby. I can't remember if it was in the hotel or not. Anyway, Kate argued that just because you two were technically eloping didn't mean that Mac hadn't earned a wedding dress. Mac agreed after Kate agreed that it would be our gift to the two of you." Bax smiled weakly.

"Now when you say 'our gift' you mean……" Harm was waiting for Bax to finish the thought.

"Kate kidnapped my Amex card." Bax smiled sarcastically.

"I guess the only thing I'm paying for this weekend is the use of the wedding chapel and minister." Harm commented as they all walked over to the check-in counter for the hotel.

"We didn't have the time to bring everyone's dress whites down so, we can't do the arch but we'll all salute you, how about that?" Sturgis suggested.

"We didn't have enough money left over to get separate room for all three of us, so we'll all be penned up in the same room tonight down the hall from you, Hammer. This means that you and the Missus have to promise not to be too loud tonight." Keeter suggested as they all moved toward the elevator.

"Hey, it's not like I'm known for broadcasting." Harm protested with a shocked tone.

"I don't know, sir. These guys told me about one time at the Academy where you pulled the old gag of putting a sock on the door-knob. They said that they didn't have to see anything because you and the girl you were with could be heard through the door, sir." Gunny finished and Harm's old roomies were trying to contain their laughter at Harm's expression.

"That happens once and you three can't let it go after twenty-years!" Harm turned to face his three buddies who were now laughing openly and heartily.

"Oh come on, Harm. That day was funny as hell. I mean, we all get back from chow to find a sock on our door and some porno-worthy dirty talk coming from inside. That was classic." Bax gave Harm a playful slug to the shoulder.

"It wasn't that bad!" Harm raised his voice in protest.

"Harm, I thought I was going to have to rinse my ears out with holy water." Sturgis started. "I never, in my life, would have bet that I would hear Diane use the phrase; 'Oh yeah, big boy, give it to me hard!' and that was on the lighter side of what she was saying that afternoon."

"Yeah, I think Sturgis was blushing for a good week after that. God knows he couldn't look Diane in the eyes for the rest of the year." Keeter added as the elevator bell dinged to signify their floor.

"So that's why you were always looking at the floor when she was talking to you? I thought you just had some kind of foot fetish." Harm joked much to Sturgis' annoyance.

"You know, just because you're getting married, doesn't mean that I won't hit you." Sturgis warned mockingly as he handed Harm the cardkey for his room.

"You know, none of us has a change of clothes, we're gonna be smelling pretty rank tomorrow." Keeter pondered aloud.

"Nah, there are a bunch of gift shops on the boardwalk; we'll just pick up some shirts from them." Bax informed him and all the guys stepped into their respective rooms.

1440 ZULU

ANNE'S BRIDAL BOUTIQUE  
ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY

"Mac, are you sure you don't mind me being here? I mean with everything that's happened in the past and all?" Kate questioned as she and Mac wandered into the shop.

"You know, I think normally, there would be a part of me that would be very insecure about you being here. But yesterday Harm just said so much about not living in the past that I've kind of adopted that philosophy. Also it helps to know that you've got a guy of your own." Mac smiled genuinely.

"Yeah, that I rarely see. I mean it's one thing when we're both in San Diego but normally he's off on tours and chain of command inspections for the other SEAL teams or I'm off on assignment somewhere. I mean, when he told me that he was going to Surface Warfare School, I practically dragged him to bed for putting some real stability in our lives. He may only be home for six months, but there'll always be liberties and it puts him in line for his stars and that means eventually they're going to anchor him to a desk at the Pentagon. I'm sorry, I'm blathering on endlessly about Ethan and it's your wedding day, you should be the one blushing about your groom to be."

"I don't know what to really say. It's all so wonderfully overwhelming I mean, this time last Friday I was sitting on my couch all alone, eating popcorn and watching the movie of the week on cable trying to comprehend how I was thirty-three and still single. Believe it or not, I half contemplated driving over to his apartment, throwing him down on the bed and just getting it over with." Mac laughed sarcastically. "Remind me to thank your boyfriend. I'm not sure what he said to Harm but something must have gotten through."

"My Ethan? He said he was asleep the entire time that you and Harm worked on this." Kate remarked as the two women gazed at wedding dresses.

"He was. But he was the one who managed to talk Harm into talking about everything that had gone awry between the two of us in the last few years. Originally, Bax, was just going out to talk to Harm and make sure that he had now problems with you dating Bax. I don't know how they got on to the topic of me and Harm but I'm glad they did." Mac stopped when she found her dress. It was like an oddly euphoric, lightning striking the mind, kind of moment. "This is it, Kate. This is the dress."

"Harm's eyes are going to pop out of his head when he sees that neckline." Kate stated simply.

"I know, it's great isn't it?" Mac laughed openly. "Oh my God, this is really happening, I'm really marrying Prince Charming." Mac whispered as she picked up the dress and looked at it.

"Come on, Mac, try it on." Kate encouraged with a smile of her own. A saleswoman came over and opened the fitting room and Mac went to try the dress on. Mac put the dress on, with a little help from Kate and the saleswoman brought out the pins to mark the necessary alterations that might need to be made. Mac couldn't help but tear up slightly at the sight that she made in the mirror. This was it. It never felt so welcoming before. The idea of pledging her life to a man had seemed daunting with Mic and Chris but with Harm it just seemed so fulfilling.

"God, am I supposed to look this good when my day comes?" Kate remarked with a smile as she looked at Mac in the mirror. "Harm is a very lucky man."

"I hope he feels that way. Sometimes, I don't know, I get the feeling that this is all just happening because……I don't know, because he doesn't want to be alone any more or because he wants something life and I'm just a means to an end with him." Mac was pouting slightly as her insecurity took over.

"Mac, when I was at JAG last year, I all but told Harm that I could tell that he was in love with you then and if what I saw in the lobby of the hotel today is any indication, he's still very much in love with you." Kate reassured Mac as she adjusted the veil.

"Bax is lucky to have you." Mac smiled weakly having successfully averted tears.

"He tells me that a lot." Kate replied as the saleswoman finished with the pins for alteration markings.

"Alright you're done." The saleswoman said.

"How long will the alterations take?" Mac asked as Kate helped her out of the dress.

"Honey, this is Atlantic City, if we couldn't have a wedding dress altered in two hours, we'd be out of business." The saleswoman replied.

1513 ZULU

ROBERTS RESIDENCE

ROSSLYN, VIRGINIA

"Bud, honey, you have to call the Admiral for the party when the Colonel and the Commander come home from their weekend." Harriet announced from the kitchen. Bud walked over and picked up the phone; he dialled the numbers and waited for the familiar gruff voice to pick up the other end of the connection.

"Sir, this is Lieutenant Roberts. I'm calling about the Commander and the Colonel."

(Has something bad happened, Lieutenant?)

"That depends on your perspective, sir."

(Explain, Lieutenant)

"Sir, they're in Atlantic City with Commanders Baxter, Keeter, Turner and Pike as well as Gunnery Sergeant Galindez."

(Did they get arrested, Lieutenant?)

"No, sir. They are getting married though."

(What the Sam Hill! Are you sure, Lieutenant?)

"I wouldn't have called you if I wasn't, sir."

(Why did you call, Lieutenant?)

"Well, sir, since they're eloping, Commander Turner thought it would be a good idea if we had a reception for them on Veteran's Day when they got back."

(What time and where is it, Lieutenant?)

"Uh, 1600 at McMurphy's, sir."

(I'll be there, I'm not sure if copies of the indictment will be my wedding present, yet)

"Uh, yes, sir." Bud stated nervously. As the Admiral hung up the other end of the connection, Bud was sure that he heard the words 'bout damn time.'

1657 ZULU

HARD ROCK CAFÉ

ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY

"So, what kind of woman does it take to pull in the reins on Harmon Rabb?" Kate questioned as their coffees were brought over.

"I don't think I've got the reins. I mean Harm is still every bit as off the wall with me as he is without me." Mac laughed as she reminisced on a few of Harm's antics, spending specific time remembering the HNK incident.

"Yeah, but you're the one that got him to chuck the bachelor lifestyle for that of a married man. That is an accomplishment, any way you slice it." Kate pointed out.

"Well, let's turn the tables here. I'm sure Bax is no walk in the park to keep on the leash, how do you do it?" Mac raised her eyebrows in anticipation of an answer.

"Ethan? As in my Ethan? He's a pussycat. Well, maybe not a pussycat, more like a German Shepherd. A loveable mutt that's loyal and only has three basic requirements in life. Food, sleep and sex." Kate laughed heartily.

"The way Harm and Sturgis talk, you'd think that Bax was this guy who still drove a Harley and wore a Members Only jacket and thought he was God's gift to women." Mac lightly stirred her coffee.

"I have no doubt that he was like that when they were at the Academy. But Bax wised up over the years. It wasn't long after visiting JAG last year that I met him and since then he's done so much. You know why he came to visit Harm now?" Kate asked.

"I thought that it was because he wanted to make sure that Harm was okay with the two of you." Mac replied, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"That was one reason. I know that Ethan's been telling everyone that he's going to Surface Warfare school but the truth is that he already went, he's about to get his Eagles and his command. Toby Ingles is being moved up to the Pentagon. They're going to put Ethan on the bridge of the Patrick Henry." Kate could hardly contain her joy.

"They're giving him command of the whole carrier group? Somebody at the CNO's office must have been impressed all to hell. No wonder he wanted to talk to Harm, a command position on a carrier has always been Harm's dream and from what I've seen of Ethan's behaviour this weekend; he's playing peacemaker." Mac contemplated.

"Exactly. You know, when I first found out about Ethan and Harm being friends from the Academy, they appeared to be as stark in contrast as night and day. As more time passed, I began to see the similarities in them rise to the surface. I mean, I've never known one man to respect another man of the same age as much as Ethan respects Harm and I can tell just in the way he talks about him. He's just a good man. There are times when I've lain in bed next to him and wondered how I got so lucky." Kate mused.

"I did that the whole drive up here sitting next to Harm." Mac commented with a smile. "You know, Sturgis and Jack are good men too, if we have any single friends we should try and hook them up."

"I thought Sturgis was dating a Congresswoman?" Kate asked.

"Oh yeah, I forgot all about Bobbi. I don't think she'd like us playing matchmaker with her boyfriend." Mac laughed happily. "Well that just leaves Jack, any ideas Kate?"

"I have the perfect one." Kate's eyes lit up.

"Who is it?" Mac leaned over the table and Kate whispered in her ear. "Are you sure?"

"You're just going to have to trust my matchmaking skills." Kate smiled coyly.

"You're bad. Come on, let's head back to the boutique and pick up the dress." Mac smiled as she and Kate got up from the table and walked back up the boardwalk.

1750 ZULU

HAPPILY EVER AFTER WEDDING CHAPEL

ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY

"Jesus Christ! You drive across three states, prevent any of us from getting real sleep and now you decide to get cold feet. Mother of God!" Keeter groaned from the front of the chapel.

"Harm, for the last three hours, you've had the four of us busting our ass to make this place look as much like a meadow as was humanly possible. You've even talked Sturgis, Keeter and I into making goat noises. I don't care if I have to hit you with a muscle relaxant, you're going through with this wedding." Bax protested.

"I want to go through with this wedding. You think I don't? I'm worried that Mac is standing at the back of the chapel with second thoughts about marrying me. I mean, come on, six years of me acting like a dip-shit when it came to her was bound to catch up with me sometime. She's probably thinking that our married life will be hell or something like that." Harm was starting to babble.

"Gunnery Sergeant, please help us out here. By whatever means necessary." Sturgis stated formally. Gunny nodded. He then proceeded to walk over and slap Harm to shake him out of his frenzy.

"Sir, you're pissing on the Navy's reputation and you sound like a Nancy boy. Even a blind man who absent-mindedly wandered into JAG could pick up on the vibes that you and Colonel MacKenzie throw at each other. That woman is in love with you. If you don't marry her, I will personally order every Marine I can find and give legal orders to, to kick your six."

"We can add my SEALs to that list." Bax added.

"And my aviators." Keeter supplied.

"And every submariner I know." Sturgis finished.

"There you go. So, sir, it would appear that your options are either marry Colonel MacKenzie, of get your ass kicked by the entire Department of the Navy. Seems like a pretty clear choice, sir." Gunny had his hands braced on Harm's shoulders.

"You know, Gunny, if you ever get out of the Marines, you could go into motivational speaking." Harm smiled and stood up straight at the front of the chapel.

"I'll consider it, sir." Gunny affirmed and took his seat. Harm was standing at the front of the church with his three Academy roommates filling the roles of his ushers. Kate walked out to the front of the chapel and stood on Mac's side of the altar. Then Harm came up with an idea.

"Gunny, you're going to give the Colonel away. Her Uncle Matt would've but he's not here. He's a Marine, you're a Marine, no one here's more qualified to do it than you." Harm stated.

"Except for you, sir." Gunny replied.

"Considering that I'm marrying her, that would be kind of awkward don't you think?" Harm returned.

"Excellent point, sir." Gunny sprinted to the back of the church. Gunny walked into the little mock rectory at the back of the church where Mac was standing there in her wedding gown. "Ma'am, if I may say, hubba-hubba."

"Thank you, Gunny." Mac laughed. "Why are you here?"

"I've been assigned to give you away Ma'am. Commander Rabb figured that since your uncle and I are both Marines, I would make an adequate stand-in." Gunny smiled widely at the honour.

"More than adequate, Gunny." Mac extended her arm for Gunny to take it. "Shall we?" Gunny took her arm and the Wedding March began to play in the chapel. Mac walked out in the main part of the chapel to find that the guys had purchased sods of turf from Home Depot and lined the aisle with them and they had even strewn flowers along the edges. As she and Gunny walked up the aisle, Mac was smiling to hear Harm's friends making goat sounds. When she reached the altar, she looked up at Harm who was waiting for her.

The minister looked at them and spoke up. "And who gives this woman to this man?" He questioned.

"I do, sir." Gunny was beaming with pride.

For the next few minutes, the minister spoke of the meaning of love and the institution of marriage and eternal bonds, etcetera but it would be difficult to tell if anyone in the chapel was actually paying attention to him. Harm and Mac had their eyes fixed on each other, Sturgis and Keeter were staring at their shoes, Bax and Kate were staring at each other, both imagining when it would be them up there and Gunny was sitting in a chair in the front row trying not to fall asleep.

Finally, the minister came to the vows. "Do you, Sarah, take Harmon to be your lawful wedded husband, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health, for as long as you both shall live?" The Minister turned his eyes toward Mac.

"I do." Mac replied timidly.

"And do you, Harmon, take Sarah to be your lawful wedded wife, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health, forsaking all others, for as long as you both shall live?" The minister's eyes moved to Harm.

"I do." Harm stated boldly.

"The rings please." The minister stated. Keeter fumbled around in his pockets for the rings.

"Keeter, tell me you have the rings." Harm muttered, never taking his gaze off of Mac. He was in awe of her beauty in that dress.

"They were here just a minute ago." Keeter stated as he searched his back pocket.

"Keeter!" Harm practically shouted.

"Just messing with you, buddy." Keeter pulled them out of the breast pocket of his shirt.

"I'm going to get you for that, Keeter." Harm promised as he took the rings.

"Now repeat after me. With this ring, I thee wed." The minister stated.

"With this ring, I thee wed." Harm stated as he slid the ring on to Mac's finger.

"What God hath put together, let no man put asunder. With the power vested in me by God and the State of New Jersey, I now pronounce you man and wife. Kiss the bride, boy." The minister walked off the altar and Harm lifted Mac's veil and cupped her face in his hands before bringing her in for a kiss. It started soft and slow but grew hotter and more demanding.

"Alright, you two, that's why we chipped in and got you the Honeymoon Suite, come up for air already." Sturgis joked and the laughter forced Harm and Mac to pull apart.

"I love you, Mrs. Rabb." Harm stated.

"And I love you, my husband." Mac smiling unabashedly.

"Now, we have one surprise, left. While we were at Home Depot, we decided on something." Gunny, Sturgis, Keeter and Bax rushed down the aisle and out of the chapel.

"They brought me up to speed on this plan, it's actually pretty creative." Kate remarked as Harm and Mac walked slowly down the aisle to the back of the chapel. The doors opened and they saw their four friends standing there with small garden rakes at their sides.

"Officers, draw swords!" Jack announced and all four of them brought the garden rakes to their waist. "Officers, arch swords!" The rakes were brought up into a high arch. "Swords into the wind!" Keeter stated and the guys turned their wrists.

"Presenting for the first time, Commander and Mrs. Harmon Rabb Jr.!" Gunny announced happily. Harm and Mac chuckled at the display and walked down through the 'arch of swords.' As they reached the end, Mac readied herself for Jack to bring his rake down across the backside.

"Go Navy!" Jack exclaimed as he did. Not to be outdone, the Gunny responded in kind.

"Semper Fi!" Gunny announced as his rake came down across Harm's butt. When they had gotten through the arch, the couple turned around to face their friends.

"What the hell would I do without you guys? In six hours, you helped me pull off a miracle." Harm was smiling widely.

"Like I said earlier, just keep it down in your hotel room tonight. Some of us are operating on only two hours sleep." Keeter deadpanned as they all headed back to the hotel.


	6. The Reception

MONDAY – TWO DAYS AFTER THE WEDDING

"Alright, let's get the Lexus packed up for the trip home. There are seven of us, so someone's going to have to lie down across the back." Harm stated.

"Kate and I volunteer." Bax stated with a smile.

"Only one person has to do it, Bax." Harm replied.

"I insist." Bax returned.

"Fine, but you two have to promise to not doing anything that would violate public decency laws." Harm deadpanned.

"We so swear, now let's go." Bax and Kate climbed into the cargo area of the Lexus. Keeter, Gunny and Sturgis climbed in to the back seat and the newlyweds rode up front.

"Harm, remember, we have to stop by Grandma Rabb's farm and pick up that bottle of wine. It's the deal, we can't go back on it now." Sturgis reminded him.

"That's right, dear. You and your friends have a standing twenty-year promise and we know that you never break your promises." Mac teased lightly as she rested her hand on his thigh.

"I haven't yet." Harm shared a knowing look with his wife as the car pulled on to the roads and the group waved goodbye to Atlantic City.

1413 ZULU

SARAH RABB'S FARM

BEALSVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA

Everyone piled out of the van to stretch their legs and talk to Mrs. Rabb while Harm went down to the cellar and removed the bottle of wine from it's safe place. They all went striding up to the screen door. All the Academy friends had been here before, they knew the farm well but Mac, Gunny and Kate had never been here, so meeting the infamous Sarah Rabb was somewhat daunting.

Harm knocked on the door and a husky yet graceful woman came to answer the knock. "Harmon! Get in here! And you brought all you friends! Jack Keeter, you rascal. Sturgis Turner, you sweet, innocent preacher's son! Ethan Baxter you playboy!" She welcomed all the young men with hug.

"Grams, this is Bax's girlfriend, Kate Pike; Gunnery Sergeant Victor Galindez, a friend of mine…" Harm stopped talking, walked over, stood behind Mac and put his hands on he shoulders. "Grams, this is Sarah Rabb." It was the first time Harm has used that phrasing since they'd been married and it had an almost overwhelming effect on Mac.

"You mean…" Grams eyes flashed right to the wedding bands.

"That's right." Harm smiled. Grams walked over, wrapped Mac in a big hug and lifted her off the floor.

"I always knew that you would be the one to tame that grandson of mine. Always knew it. First time he called me up about you, he said, Grams, she turned a gun on me, pulled me into a helicopter two hundred feet above the desert. I think I'm in love." Grams had a wise version of the Rabb smile that Mac noticed. Harm had wondered off to the cellar to get the bottle of wine.

"Welcome to the family, dear. If Harmon ever gives you any trouble you just call me or Trish and we'll whip him right into shape for you." Grams nodded happily.

"Or, she'll call one of us and we'll do it." Keeter added.

"Damn right!" Grams stated proudly. "Now, dear, I know that this might be a little too much to ask but Trish would really like grandchildren and she's just too dainty to ask."

"Don't worry about that Mrs. Rabb, the whole hotel heard their wedding night." Bax chimed in and Mac looked mortified at the announcement.

"Bax!" Mac screeched in protest.

"Now, now, dear there's nothing to be hiding. They had to throw cold water on Harmon's grandfather and I during our honeymoon." Grams reassured Mac who could only laugh. "Well this was certainly a surprise. Tell me dear, when did Harmon propose?"

"Saturday morning." Mac replied and Grams looked slightly taken aback.

"Never one to do things in halves, that boy. When did you two finally get together?" Grams was about to get another surprise.

"Friday night." Mac replied quickly.

"Making up for time that he lost with you. Well, I just have this feeling that you two are going to have a long and happy marriage. It's a feeling that I can feel right down into these old bones, deary." Grams took Mac's hand.

"Got the bottle!" Harm exclaimed as he bounded up the cellar stairs.

"Harmon, you didn't give your wife a proper engagement ring. I thought I learned you better then that." Grams took on a lecturing tone.

"Well, uh, see Grams, there wasn't exactly, uh, what I mean is…" Harm was stammering and very nervous.

"Ma'am is he like this in court?" Gunny whispered to Mac.

"Sometimes in front of Morris, but it's rare." Mac replied with a smile.

"Now Harmon, all you would have had to do is ask for this and I would have given it to you." Grams pulled the ring off her finger and handed it to her grandson. "So another few generations can know a Sarah Rabb." She smiled wisely. Harm walked over and slid the ring on to Mac's finger.

"I love you, sweetheart." He whispered quietly.

"I love you, too, hubby." She returned.

"I think watching this scene just gave me a toothache." Keeter stated sarcastically only to have Kate smack his arm. The group hung around for another hour before packing up to head out. Grams said her goodbyes to everyone individually but she held Kate Pike behind for a few seconds.

"Listen, dear, outside of my Harmon, Ethan is the only boy I ever really cared for like a grandson. Despite how close he is to Jack and Sturgis, Ethan was always more like a brother because the two of them clashed on things a lot but you could always tell that they would be there for each other without being asked. Be good to him." Grams words of kindness were accompanied by a firm shaking of Kate Pike's hand.

1846 ZULU

THE BELTWAY

WASHINGTON, DC

Sturgis' phone rang as they pulled on to the Beltway and entered the greater Washington area. "Turner, here……yes, Lieutenant……we'll be there in a second……are you sure he wants to meet us there?... if you say so, Lieutenant. Good bye."

"Who was that, Sturgis?" Harm asked, checking the rear-view mirror.

"Bud, he says that the Admiral wants to meet us at McMurphy's. Something big about the SECNAV, with government offices closed today he figured McMurphy's was the best place to meet." Sturgis played up the truth a little so they would go.

"Alright, hey Bax, Kate, Keeter, you guys don't mind coming along do you?" Mac inquired.

"No, I mean we all report to the same SECNAV, right?" Kate returned. Harm pulled the car off on to the off-ramp that would take all of them to McMurphy's. After a few minutes, Harm pulled the Lexus into the familiar alley next to the tavern and everyone got out of the car, making sure that Harm and Mac went into the tavern first.

"Surprise!" Came the shout from the crowd gathered inside McMurphy's. Harm and Mac looked around to see everyone who had gathered. There was Bud, Harriet, Bobbi, the Admiral, the Mattonis, Chaplain Turner, Admiral Tom Boone, Carolyn Imes, Chloe and Harm's parents had apparently flown in. Mac and Harm couldn't help but smile at the crowd that had gathered in the tavern under a banner that read "ABOUT DAMN TIME!"

There were greetings and jubilations shared over the event that had caused this massive congregation.

"I always thought that I'd perform the ceremony." Chaplain Turner joked.

"I had this feeling she'd be the one you'd marry, you're dad would be damn happy." Tom Boone commented. Harriet had Mac wrapped in a hug which threatened never to end. Bud, the Admiral, Alan Mattoni and Jason Tiner led Harm and his Academy crew over to the bar for a drink. The place started to settle and form up like an actual wedding reception after a few minutes.

"I'd like everyone's attention please!" Harm announced as he tapped a fork against the wine glass in his hand. Everyone turned their gaze to Harm. "Seventeen years ago, four misguided kids in their fourth year at Annapolis entered into a pact that they would save a bottle of 130 year old wine for the wedding reception when the first one of them got married. The deal was that the best man would toast the happy couple with a glass of wine from that bottle. Well, those four young men, myself included are all here tonight and rather then choose between them, I'll let them all make their toasts. For to ask of me to choose the best among them, would be to demand the impossible. I'll hand it over to Commander Jack Keeter."

"Thanks, Harm." Jack stood up. "I was never good with words. But I never had to be, maybe that was the problem. I will say that no words can fully describe how happy I am to see my buddy Harm finally get married to the girl of his dreams. The guy deserves to be happy, and no one makes him happier than his Sarah. To Harm and Mac!" Keeter announced.

"To Harm and Mac!" The guests replied and raised their glasses. The next toast fell to Sturgis Turner. "I don't know how I'm going to follow Jack's toast, I think that was the most eloquent I've ever seen him. I will say that in the months that I've been at JAG, I've never seen two people go through the emotional extreme with each other the way that these two do. It's a rare thing to bring out those kind of deep emotions in another person and if we're truly lucky, as these two appear to be. We may perhaps find the same kind of heaven that they have found in each other. Anchors Aweigh!"

"Anchors Aweigh!" The crowd replied.

"Last one's to you, Bax." Harm stated looking over at a rarely nervous, but very nervous Ethan Baxter.

"To be quite honest, I never expected to be the one giving this toast. In all the years I've known Harm or Jack or Sturgis I can say that no three men have ever felt more like brothers. The storms we have weathered together have defined the men we are at present and to see one of our ranks so blissfully happy with the woman he loves, it's a life-affirming thing just to witness it. We do bring out the best in each other and trust me, you've seen us at our most eloquent tonight." Bax stopped to wipe a tear from his eye. "Harm, I wish you all the peace and prosperity that will be necessary to raise a family; I wish you all the love and joy, that your life may always know happiness. I wish you all the friends that you may have, that you may know support should you ever falter. Yeats said "think where mans glory most begins and ends, and say my glory was I had such friends"; Harm, Mac to all of us here tonight, you are such friends. Fair winds and following seas!" Bax raised the glass to acknowledge the final toast.

"Fair winds and following seas!" Was chanted and everyone drank.

"I don't know who replaced my buddies with these three poets but I can promise we'll upend the guilty party sometime in the nearest future." Harm joked and laughs waved through the crowd.

"Wait a minute, Commander, we have some gifts to give you two for wedding presents." The Admiral halted as he stood in front of Harm's table. He let out a whistle and Clayton Webb came bustling through the door.

"Rabb, because I owe you well into the next century, I pulled some strings." Webb pushed the door open and a familiar face came walking in.

"Nice to see you came to your senses, brother!" Sergei shouted with a smile and Harm's face lit up. "I would like some nephews to spoil!" Sergei's comment got laughs from everyone in the crowd.

"I pulled the next set of strings." Admiral Boone announced as he pushed the door open even wider and Skates, Tuna and Boomer came walking in.

"Jesus, Hammer, you couldn't even give us the luxury of an invite!" Boomer proclaimed to another round of laughs.

"The next gift is courtesy of Trish and Frank Burnett." The Admiral announced. Harm's mom and step-dad walked forward with an 8x10 picture and handed it to Harm and Mac.

"It's a picture of a house?" Mac looked puzzled.

"Not just any house. Your house. We bought it for you this afternoon. It's out in Falls Church." Frank said proudly.

"Frank…….I don't know what to say. I mean, I……" Harm was surprised to no end.

"Honey, the words are 'thank you'." Mac said.

"Thanks……dad." Harm shook Frank's hand and noticed the tear in the older man's eyes.

"Since the Roberts threw this party, the final gift is mine. Commander Rabb, as you are aware, the Uniform Code of Military Justice prohibits any married couple from serving in the same chain of command. As a result, I've spent the better part of the last fifty hours coming up with transfer options for you. I think I finally found three that were more than suitable." The Admiral started.

"Alright, sir. Let's hear them." Harm gripped Mac's hand in his own.

"The first is the option of being the new base XO out at Pax River. It would keep you in the States, you could keep up your flight hours and it would have regular hours so whenever you do decide to plague DC with a litter of Rabbs, you'll be able to keep a regular eye on them." The Admiral smiled wisely.

"The second option is mine." Bobbi Latham stepped forward. "Congress needs a military liaison. We need someone who knows both the combat aspect and the legal aspect. When Congress isn't in session, you'd be on loan back at JAG."

"The last option is mine." Bax stood up. "I haven't been being completely honest with you, Hammer. I told you I was going to Surface Warfare School, I already went. They're about to give me a command because one of the Captain's in the fleet is being flagged and anchored to a desk at the Pentagon."

"He's our new boss." Tuna simplified.

"You're the new skipper on the Henry?" Harm questioned.

"That's right. I talked around and pulled strings. I told the SECNAV that if I was going to be in any position to do my job, I needed a CAG with whom I had a working synchronicity. I managed to convince him that if you were willing, he would overlook the flight hours issue and I could sign you on as the CAG. It would take you away from the Missus but it would give you your Captain's eagles." Bax finished and Harm looked around.

"This is a lot to digest. I mean, they're all great offers and I thank all three of you for the effort you put into making them available. My place is at JAG and if that means I can only be there when Congress isn't in session or I'm not needed on the Hill, then so be it. Senator Latham, I'm glad to be aboard." Harm reached forward and shook Bobbi's hand.

"Glad to have you on the team, Harm." Bobbi replied.

"Alright, people. We rented the place out, we might as well make use of it!" Gunny announced from a far corner. The Roberts had thought of everything. Harriet even rented a karaoke machine which of course bred a few memorable moments for the evening. The funniest being Bobbi Latham singing Dusty Springfield's _Son of a Preacher Man_ to Sturgis while Chaplain Turner laughed his ass off. Sergei played darts with Gunny most of the night and Gunny told him of the benefits of flying combat Helos for the Marines.

The Admiral stood at the bar with Frank, Chaplain Turner, Clayton Webb, Bud and Tom Boone talking about God knows what. Mac, Trish, Harriet, Kate, Carolyn, Bobbi, Jackie Mattoni, Chloe and Skates were having their own little Girl's Night in a corner booth. Keeter was holding aviation court with Tiner, Tuna and Boomer. That left Harm to talk with Sturgis and Bax.

"You know, when we agreed to a reunion weekend, I didn't think that we had anything of this scale in mind." Harm joked as the three men leaned on the bar.

"Would you prefer to go back to 1600 Friday afternoon?" Sturgis asked. Harm looked over at the corner booth at Mac who was rapt in conversation and he smiled.

"Not for anything in the world." Harm replied.

"Harm, we never did anything halfway, you know that." Bax joked, as he raised his beer to his lips.

"Yeah, I know." Harm replied.

"You know, let's toast to all those who wanted to be here but couldn't." Sturgis started.

"Alright." Harm agreed.

"To Peter Rabb." Bax raised his glass.

"To Luke Pendry." Sturgis added.

"To Diane Schonke." Harm chimed in.

"To Gym." Sturgis added with his own solemnity.

"To my dad." Harm finished and the three men finished their beers. The party raged on for hours but it slowly began to disperse around 2200. Everyone had left McMurphy's by 2310 and Harm and Mac were the last to leave. Everyone who had come with them in the Lexus found their own rides home and places to stay so that Harm and Mac could have their first night in their apartment all to themselves.

"Tired, Mrs. Rabb?" Harm inquired as they drove off toward her apartment.

"Very, Mr. Rabb. I'm going to need at least three hours sleep before you can ravish me." Mac laid and hand on his thigh.

"I can wait three hours. After all, we've got eternity to enjoy."

EPILOGUE TO FOLLOW…………


	7. Epilogue

7 MONTHS LATER

CATHEDRAL OF THE NAVY

ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND

"Bax! You're as jittery as a hen, what is wrong with you?" Harm lectured as Bax paced the rectory at the back of the church.

"Alright, you're happily married with a wife who's six months pregnant; you don't get to lecture me." Bax replied, evidently nervous.

"Sturgis, go get the Gunny!" Harm commanded and Sturgis went sprinting out into the church to find Gunny. "Alright Bax, I don't like doing this, but you know I have to. You've got cold feet and this is the only way I know to snap you out of it." A few seconds later, Sturgis and the Gunny appeared in the rectory. "Gunnery Sergeant, Captain Baxter has cold feet, you have permission to snap him out of it using whatever means necessary."

Gunny backhanded Bax and took on his best DI voice. "Sir, how can you go out there and face your pilots if you act like such a pansy back here? You're an officer in the United States Navy, the skipper on an aircraft carrier and a line officer for Christ sake, grow a back bone! Now, you're going to march down that aisle, stand at that alter and get married, do you understand me?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" Bax responded mostly out of fright.

"You've saved another engagement, Gunny." Harm encouraged as Gunny walked back into the main chapel and took his seat. Bax went and stood up at the front and Keeter, Harm and Sturgis stood at the back waiting for the procession. Mac came out of the bridal suite to see Harm.

"How's Bax?" She inquired quietly.

"Nervous enough to throw up." Harm replied he turned to look at her. "You're going to make it very difficult for anyone to concentrate on the bride's beauty."

"Harm, I'm six months pregnant and bigger than a damn house!" Mac protested.

"You're glowing and your growing large with my child, you couldn't be sexier if you tried." Harm explained.

"You know I suffer from heightened sex drive thanks to this pregnancy but you still insist on saying arousing things in public when we can't do anything about it. Why must you torture me?" Mac pouted mockingly.

"How are you doing today?" Harm inquired with evident worry.

"Your son won't move his stubborn Navy caboose off my bladder." Mac looked bemused.

"_My_ son? Yesterday he was Mommy's little Marine. Now he's _my_ Navy son?" Harm chuckled lightly.

"You know the rules. When he sits on my bladder he's your Squid Son, when he gives me unique food cravings that I get to watch you scramble to accommodate, he's Mommy's Marine." Mac smiled smugly.

"You're lucky I'm crazy in love with you, otherwise I'd be offended." Harm returned.

"I know, now get ready, the procession is about to start." Mac dragged Harm back to his place. Bax stood at the front and watched the procession move. First Harm and Mac, then Sturgis and Harriet and finally Jack Keeter and Meg Austin. When everyone was in place, Chaplain Turner started the service.

The service was amusing. There was a point at which Chaplain Turner got so annoyed at Bax for rolling his eyes at some of the lines, he actually stopped the service and said "Am I boring you, Captain?" After everyone stopped laughing, the Chaplain continued with the service. Harm could tell that Bax was getting antsy, by the time Chaplain Turner finally got to the vows, Bax's right leg was noticeably twitching.

"Do you, Ethan Isaac Baxter, take Kaitlin Elizabeth Pike to be your lawful wedded wife. To love, honour and cherish for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, for as long as you both shall live?" Chaplain Turner turned to Bax.

"You bet your sweet bippy." Bax replied and Kate laughed at his boyish enthusiasm.

"Ethan, 'I do' tends to work just fine." The Chaplain advised.

"I do." Bax replied with a wide smile.

"Do you, Kaitlin Elizabeth Pike, take Ethan Isaac Baxter to be your lawful wedded husband. To love, honour and cherish, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, and in Ethan's case, perpetual immaturity, forsaking all others, for as long as you both shall live?" Chaplain Turner turned toward Kate.

"You bet your sweet bippy, I do." Kate was beaming under the veil.

"Good, now, the rings please." Chaplain Turner looked at Harm who produced the rings. "Repeat after me, with this ring, I thee wed."

"With this ring, I thee wed." Bax stated as he slid the ring on to Kate's finger.

"With this ring, I thee wed." Kate repeated as she slid the ring on to Bax's finger.

"What God hath put together, for whatever reason in this case, let no man put asunder. By the power vested in me by God and the Department of the Navy, I now pronounce you man and wife. Ethan, kiss the girl." Chaplain Turner almost looked mildly annoyed.

"Aye, aye, sir." Bax said as he lifted Kate's veil and dipped her backward for a kiss that was straight out of a Hollywood movie.

"Ethan never does anything traditionally does he?" Chaplain Turner asked his son.

"Dad, let's just consider it an act of divine intervention that Kate isn't pregnant." Sturgis joked. Slowly the church started to empty out so that everyone could make it to the reception. Harm, as best man, was going to the lead the arch so he had to get the seven other officers in line, they were; Keeter, Sturgis, Bud, Tuna, Boomer, The Admiral and the CAG from the Henry along with Harm himself. The wedding party and the procession for the arch stood at the front of the cathedral waiting for everyone to get outside before they could initiate the proud Naval tradition.

"Well, two down, two to go." Chaplain Turner commented, casting a sarcastic glance at his son and Jack Keeter.

"Hey, I told you, I'm working on it. In fact, if all goes to plan, I should be engaged by next Friday." Sturgis protested.

"Alright, so that only leaves Keeter." Harm turned his look up at his buddy.

"What?" Keeter looked around at everyone.

"You're officially hopeless, Keeter." Mac joked.

"Listen, if this one can get married," Chaplain Turner ruffle Bax's hair, "than there's hope for just about anyone."

"Chaplain, just wait until Bax and Kate start having kids." Harm commented.

"Oh no, a bunch of little Baxes, that's like a sign of the apocalypse." Mac joked.

"Hey, our kids could be like Kate." Bax protested, his new wife still locked in his embrace.

"Yeah, that's what the world needs, a SEAL raising future lawyers." Keeter joked and laughed until he heard the Admiral clear his throat. "Right, sorry sir."

"I think the church has sufficiently cleared out. Time for the arch." Harm led the procession of eight down aisle of the church with the Admiral to his right. The formation got to the door and the procession broke into two files of four. All the officers marched down the steps and the procession halted. Kate and Bax appeared at the door of the cathedral.

"Officers, draw swords!" Harm announced and eight hands went down to their respective waists to grab the swords dangling there. "Officers, arch swords!" Harm called and eight swords were raised into the air, meeting another to form the arch. "Swords into the wind!" The eight officers turned their wrists accordingly. "Presenting for the first time, Captain and Mrs. Ethan Baxter!" Harm shouted and Bax and Kate walked through the arch. As Kate neared the exit to the arch she prepared to be whacked by Harm's sword. Harm brought his sword down across her backside. "Go Navy!"

Then the Admiral brought his sword down as well. "Oohrah!"

"Welcome to the SEALs." Bax whispered to Kate. "Alright! Everyone over to the O Club!" Bax shouted before he and Kate piled into the limo.

1 HOUR LATER

OFFICER'S CLUB

ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND

"Where the hell is he?" Harm stated impatiently.

"Boinking the bride in the limo." Keeter replied.

"That was real articulate, Keeter. Only you could chalk marital sex up to the phrase 'boinking the bride in the limo'." Sturgis tossed Keeter an annoyed glare.

"That's what he's doing and you both know it. Instead of writing 'Just Married' we should have written 'If this limo's rockin' our boots are knockin'." Keeter laughed boisterously.

"Look, here they come now." Harm motioned to the door where Bax and Kate were making their entrance.

"Sorry, folks, traffic coming across campus was a wreck." Bax joked as he and Kate made their way to the head table.

"Yeah, and I'm a monkey's uncle." Keeter muttered.

"Well, the evolutionary theory's not perfect, Jack." Bax countered as he took his seat with Kate firmly seated in his lap. Harm walked up and stood at the podium in the centre of the table.

"You'd think after twenty years, nothing Bax could say would surprise me. Then he and Kate told me that they wanted to turn their reception into a roast and I was proved wrong yet again. But what the hell, I live with a pregnant woman, I'm wrong all the time anyway." Harm joked as he did the introduction. "I was told to inform the guests that if they had anything to say, this would be the time. That 'speak now or forever hold your peace' line that Chaplain Turner gave us earlier, total bullshit; this is the time." There were more laughs. Harm turned his head to face Bax and Kate. "I can't believe that they gave you control over a carrier. How many pictures of the CNO caught in some inexplicable sexual act do you have that you were actual able to blackmail him? I guess we should be more impressed that he didn't run the ship aground in the Mediterranean somewhere. On a more serious note, did you know that Bax is the first Midshipman in fifty years to show up for role call in an athletic supporter? What did he get for doing that Keeter?"

"I think it was five bucks and a meatball sub." Keeter replied.

"Hey, I have standards….." Bax replied. "It was ten bucks and a meatball sub."

"Anyway. None of us could believe that he did it; that was the day we learned that a SEAL never backs down from a challenge." Harm commented.

"Damn right!" Came from Admiral Chegwidden's table.

"I'd like to get serious for a moment. You know for the four of us, we were the only brothers we could count on for a long time. We all had the dream of passing through Annapolis to bigger and better things and when we finally did it, we knew that it was because we had leaned on each other. Part of the man and part of the officer that I am today is because of Ethan Baxter and it's good to know that he now has Kate, who can ensure that his negative influence doesn't rub off on anyone else." Harm joked and raised his glass. "To you and your new bride, buddy."

"Thanks Harm." Bax moved Kate off his lap and wrapped Harm in a big bear hug.

"Now; Keeter, Sturgis and I went to a lot of trouble to organize a little surprise for this roast. So, I'd like to call Retired Captain Richard Holmes to the podium." Harm stated and he watched as Bax rolled his eyes and returned to his seat. The tall, noble form of the older man, who was presumably Captain Holmes, came up to stand at the podium.

"When Mr. Rabb first called me and said Ethan Baxter was getting married I believe my initial response was 'good God he hasn't gotten himself killed.' Ethan was the brightest literary mind I had ever come across in my tenure at Annapolis even though I was convinced most of the time that he had most of Shakespeare's sonnets written somewhere on his anatomy. Ethan, do you remember what I told you the day you got commissioned?" Holmes asked.

"I believe you said, 'Oh good Lord, Nimitz must be rolling in his grave." Bax replied.

"Quite right. And now I see they've made you a Captain. Hopefully by the time the decision to flag you comes around, Nimitz will have risen from his grave to talk some sense into the brass at the Pentagon. In all fairness to Ethan, if he hadn't hat Rabb and Keeter at his disposal, his effect on Annapolis would have been minimal. By the time that Mr. Turner caught up with their antics in second year, well let us just say that the Academy had its own version of the Four Horsemen. Without further ado, I shall hand over the microphone to two men who can lend their own unique perspectives to this day. Isaac Baxter and Chaplain Matthew Turner."

Bax's dad and Chaplain Turner took over the microphone. "Hey Matt, been along time since we talked." Isaac Baxter started.

"I believe the first time was after I delivered a sermon at the cathedral during which my son stumbled in wearing only his underwear." Chaplain Turner supplied as Sturgis comically banged his head off the table.

"Yeah, as I recall, you were breathing fire and brimstone when you called me that day." Isaac goaded.

"Oh it was a day. I found out that Harmon, Ethan and Jack had put Sturgis up to it. When I asked them how they did that, they replied 'The wonders of Newfie Screech' which I took to mean that my son was drunk." Chaplain Turner concluded.

"And how!" Keeter called from his end of the table.

"Isaac, I'm sure that you've got stories for the crowd." It was now Chaplain Turner's turn to goad.

"Oh, trust me I do. Kate, Baxter children tend to be a handful. Keep this in mind the next time that you and my son are caught in the back of a limo during a 'traffic jam'. There was the one time that Ethan's prep school friends had gotten him so drunk that we found him out in the middle of the vineyard, stark naked, howling at the moon at 0230 in the morning." Isaac Baxter was struggling to contain his laughter. "Or the time that he went out for Halloween wearing The Emperor's New Clothes. Come to think of it son we had a hell of a time making sure you were always wearing clothes from the ages of 13-17."

"He has a lot of to be proud of." Kate remarked openly which cause more laughter.

"Daddy, hungry, food!" Little AJ yelled from the Roberts' table.

"Hell of an idea, give that young man an Annapolis recommendation." Keeter replied.

"Hell, if they can give one to you, Keeter, they can give one to anybody." Harm joked as everyone looked around.

"Now seems like a good time to eat." Bax shouted.

87 MINUTES LATER

OFFICER'S CLUB

ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND

"Alright, the time has come for the first dance as husband and wife!" The DJ announced as Bax and Kate took to the dance floor as the strains of Dean Martin's _You Belong to Me_ began to waft through the O Club. After a few minutes alone in the spotlight, other couples began to take to the floor. Harm and Mac were first, followed by Bobbi and Sturgis and in something of a surprise, Jack and Meg. After a few songs, where all the couples on the floor seemed to trade off partners with some regularity, most of the wedding party decided to sit out a dance. That is, except for Jack and Meg who seemed to be getting closer by the second.

Mac and Kate sat in chairs on the edge of the dance floor. "I must bow to your matchmaking ability, Mrs. Baxter, fixing up Jack and Meg was a stroke of genius." Mac commented.

"Hey, I had your help in thinking up ways to make sure that everything that they had to do for the preparations, they did together." Kate returned.

"We do make a good team. It's a good thing that the Admiral finagled that transfer to get you back to JAG, I'm going to have to have someone in there I can trust in a few months while I'm bringing another Squid into the world." Mac joked as she squirmed on her chair.

"Mac, I can't tell you what it means to me to have you stand as my matron of honour." Kate gave Mac a soft pat on the hand.

"Are you kidding, girl? It was all worth it to see that dress designer of yours go alterations crazy trying to accommodate a rapidly expanding belly." Mac raised her hand to her baby belly.

"Mac, can you keep a secret?" Kate inquired.

"I think so, is it national security related?" Mac replied.

"No, but by OB/GYN says that in about seven months, there's going to be a new addition to the Baxter clan." Kate was beaming.

"Oh my God!" Mac tried very hard to stifle a giddy squeal. "Does Bax know?"

"I was thinking of making it my wedding present." Kate said with a wink.

"He'll be thrilled! This of course means that my son is going to grow up knowing another Baxter teenager. I'm not sure I could handle that." Mac joked.

"Hey, it could be a girl." Kate suggested.

"With Bax's personality? All the boys will be panting in their sleep thinking of her." Mac returned. "My Lucas among them."

"So you and Harm have decided on a name?" Kate settled.

"Yes, we figured we couldn't saddle another kid with the name Harmon so we decided on naming him after two important people in our lives. Luke was Harm's roommate at flight school and Matthew as the middle name in honour of my uncle." Mac was smiling fondly.

"You're going to make a great mom and I think Harm was born to be a dad." Kate remarked.

"Thanks, Kate." Mac tapped her friend's hand.

Across the room, Harm and Bax were leaning up against a wall, partaking of the champagne and looking at their wives, seated across the room.

"You know, sometimes it's hard to believe that all of this started with a crazy reunion weekend seven months ago." Bax joked as he raised his glass to his lips.

"Tell me about it, every morning I wake up and expect to be back in my cold bed back at my old apartment, ready to punch the wall because it was all a dream. I never feel better all day then I do when I look over and see Mac in bed next to me." Harm smiled fondly.

"Harmon Rabb, you've become a sentimentalist in your old age." Bax joked.

"No, let's just say that for the first time in my life, I'm an optimist." Harm commented.

"Hey, I'll drink to that." Bax and Harm clinked their glasses together. After a quick drink, they turned to see Sturgis and Bobbi standing together. "Looks like we'll be back here in the near future."

"Yeah, I'm happy for him. This seems to be the year for weddings." Harm retorted.

"Nothing wrong with that. It was about time that we all settled down." Bax exhaled heavily.

"It Kate's case, it's more like tied you down." Harm joked.

"Did you put a surveillance camera in the limo?" Bax was bluffing but he seemed to have caught Harm by surprise.

"What do you think Mac and Kate are talking about?" Harm questioned, motioning over to the table across the room.

"Babies." Bax replied.

"Why?" Harm inquired.

"What else would they talk about?" Bax returned.

"It's been a good year." Harm smiled wisely.

"It promises to get better, Mister Expectant Father." Bax commented.

"That it does." Harm muttered. At that moment Keeter came rushing over, Meg Austin securely gripped to his arm.

"Hey, Harm buddy, you wouldn't by chance have a condom?" Keeter questioned which cause Bax and Harm to laugh.

THE END

_Since we got such rave reviews about our casting choice for Bax, we decided to give you another JAG story with our new character. "JAG: The Yard" takes place after "Death Watch"; Mac tells Harm to focus not on how Diane died but on the good times that he had with her at the Academy. As a result, she and Harm stay up late one night as he regales her with tales of his Academy days. One story really speaks to Mac and she calls the one man who she thinks can help Harm deal with the whole situation. When he shows up at JAG, he turns the scene upside down with his antics._

_This won't be our next group effort, but it will be in the imminent future_


End file.
